Most of us tend to take our daily comforts for granted, including a warm and cozy house in the cold winter months when the last place you want to be is outdoors.
Modern furnaces make it possible to hunker down for the winter and stay comfortable all season long. But if you’ve ever had your furnace break down, you understand how much you take it for granted and how quickly your home can become cold.
Maintaining your furnace year-round ensures that you won’t have an unexpected breakdown when you need heat the most.
But how often should you get Houston heating maintenance done on your furnace? And what should you look for in a reputable technician?
Read on to find out:
How Often Should You Seek Houston Heating Maintenance
Even in areas that are warmer than others, we all depend on our heaters to work when we need them to on those cold days. But how often should have your heater checked out to keep it running all year long?
Most furnace manufacturers agree than maintenance should be conducted on a yearly basis. In fact, your furnace warranty probably mentions that damage done to your furnace as a lack of regular maintenance will not be covered. This is reason enough to keep up on your annual inspection.
And though chances are good that your technician won’t find anything wrong with your furnace, it’s still better to aim for prevention than paying for expensive damage.
What Happens During a Maintenance Tune-Up?
There’s no industry standard when it comes to Houston heating maintenance, but the best technicians have a checklist that they adhere to. A technician you can trust will do a number of things including:
- Check the venting system for any blockage that could lead to combustion or carbon monoxide. This is a very important step in the inspection because a blockage could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning of the house.
- Check all the safety switches to make sure they’re functioning properly so that your furnace won’t overheat and start a fire.
- Check all the burners to make sure they ignite.
- Look at the drainage system to see if it needs to be cleaned.
- Make sure all the wires are connected and free from corrosion.
- Check the gas pressures, flame sensor, ignitor, and burners.
- Check the filter for cleanliness or to determine if it needs replacing.
- Inspection of the heat exchanger.
What you want is a thorough, responsible technician to perform your Houston heating maintenance. If a technician comes and checks your furnace and calls it good in a matter of minutes, they probably weren’t looking at your system as well as they should be.
There are plenty of technicians that charge a very cheap rate to check your heating system but keep in mind that you really do get what you pay for, and in most instances where the rate is low, they aren’t going through a checklist like the one above.
What are the Benefits of Furnace Maintenance?
As we’ve already mentioned, a furnace that isn’t serviced regularly can stop working without warning. But it can also be a health hazard. By having your furnace checked out every year, your technician can prevent potentially serious problems.
Carbon monoxide leaks, for example, are nearly impossible for the untrained person to detect since the gas is both odorless and colorless. Carbon monoxide leads to dizziness, headaches, nausea, and possibly death. Thousands of people head to emergency rooms every year due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
When you keep up-to-date on inspections, you significantly reduce the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning and keep your family protected.
Another benefit of bothering with an inspection is savings. Though you might be tempted to avoid the initial cost of inspection, it’s a small expense compared to what you could end up paying in repairs. The difference can be hundreds of dollars in savings by opting for preventative costs versus big future repairs.
Inspections also save energy in the long run. Your technician can do most of the work for you, but as a homeowner, you can take charge by changing your air filters every three months to avoid clogged air filters and restricted airflow.
Be sure to ask your HVAC professional about the benefits of a programmable thermostat if you don’t already have one. Having one in place can save you a chunk of change on your energy bills.
New Systems Still Require Maintenance
Don’t make the mistake of assuming you don’t need to bother with maintenance because your system is somewhat new.
Your manufacturer will likely require you to keep up regular maintenance and keep a record of such before you can make any warranty claims. So it’s not only important to keep those maintenance efforts going for the longevity of your system, but for the sake of your warranty as well.
Contact Us to Schedule Your Maintenance Appointment
Now that you understand the importance of regular Houston heating maintenance efforts, give us a call today to schedule your next inspection.
We’ll come to check out your furnace system to make sure everything is running smoothly and we’ll answer all your questions along the way.
And don’t wait until the cold weather is already upon you! Take advantage of our professional services right away so you can rest easy knowing your home is ready for winter and the air you’re breathing is safe and sanitary for months to come.