All too often when we are called to repair a heating system, we see cases where damage could have been avoided and money could have been saved with routine maintenance. Performing just a few simple maintenance tasks can be beneficial to your heating system in numerous ways. Regular maintenance helps ensure your system works great for years to come and keeps it working efficiently, in return lowering your utility bills.
How to Extend the Life of Your Heating System
- Keep Surrounding Areas Clear- In order to work effectively, your heating system requires consistent airflow. Therefore, it’s important to keep the area around your furnace free of clutter. People often use the room their furnace is in for storage. However, if something is restricting air from feeding into the system, the system will work harder than it needs to, in turn drastically reducing its lifespan. Similarly, it’s important to make sure that vents throughout your house aren’t blocked by any furniture. This will take a toll on the heating system and prevent warm air from flowing throughout your home.
- Regularly Change the Filter - Just as it’s important to make sure your heating system is receiving a steady flow of air, it’s equally important to make sure that the air is clean. Changing the air filter is one of the easiest and most important maintenance tasks you can do to make sure your system is clean and working efficiently. It is recommended that you replace your filter with a clean one once a month. This is will improve the air quality in your home and help extend the life of your heating system.
- Make Sure Ducts are Sealed - Leaky air ducts waste energy and significantly reduce the efficiency of your heating system. Since warm air is unable to travel throughout your house, the furnace must work harder to help the home reach the desired temperature. All of this extra strain on your heating system is sure to shorten the lifespan. Similarly, if your home is not properly insulated, heat will be lost while passing through walls and floors. Inspect the ductwork throughout your home to make sure there are no leaks. If you are unsure about the quality of the ductwork or insulation in your home, a professional will be glad to inspect them for you.
- Schedule Maintenance- Speaking of professionals, having a heating expert perform regularly scheduled maintenance is a fantastic way to extend the life of your heating system and protect against the need for repair in the future. We recommend an annual inspection in early autumn. Because your heating system spends half the year not in use, it is important to have the entire system inspected and any adjustments made before turning it on for the winter.
Avoid Costly Heater Repairs During Winter
These tips are all easy to follow, and a few extra minutes and dollars spent throughout the life of a heating system will pay off in the long run. You can also talk to a heating professional to see if there are any new technologies or upgrades you can make to keep your system running as efficiently as possible. For example, a programmable thermostat allows you to set your home to a cooler temperature overnight or during the day while people aren’t home. The last thing you want is for your heat to stop working during the winter. Protect against that by performing routine maintenance.
Call Dodrill Comfort & Energy Solutions at (304) 212-2004 or contact us online to schedule a heating maintenance service in Charleston, WV today!