Turning on the furnace and spending an evening by the fire is one of the most pleasant experiences in the world. However, it’s easy to take the warmth for granted when it’s something you expect. Just as a working furnace can be a dream, a broken one can be a nightmare. Ensuring your winter is as comfortable and uneventful as possible starts by preparing in advance—perhaps even since summertime!
Proactive furnace maintenance is important not only to keep it working well throughout winter but also to prolong its lifespan. Here’s what you need to know about maintaining your furnace with preventive care:
Potential Problems With Your Furnace
Identifying the potential furnace problems you might encounter is wise because if worse comes to worst, you want to know what you’re dealing with. Remember to turn on your furnace every now and then to check whether it’s able to operate normally, even during seasons when it isn’t in regular use. Running a trial and observing the results of it will help you determine whether or not there was a problem. Some of the common issues you’ll run into are:
- A Lack of Heat Production. The primary ability of a furnace is to help provide heat to your household. If there’s a lack of warmth or a complete absence of it while the furnace is on, your worry is warranted. The problem may be with the thermostat or the heat registers, though some just find a problem with the furnace’s filter.
- Unexpected Noise. There are normal sounds that a furnace makes to let you know that it’s working perfectly, but there shouldn’t be any odd sounds like metal grinding, rattling, and tapping. If you happen to start hearing these while the furnace is running, that means the motor of your furnace or another crucial component is in need of an inspection and fix.
- A Dirty Blower. Among the furnace’s components, the blower is probably one of the most important things to keep clean. A blower clogged with dirt and debris can hinder the heat distribution from the furnace, through the ducts, and around the home. Plus, the buildup of dirt will affect the furnace’s overall performance when the air isn’t circulating right.
Proactive Furnace Maintenance
Any of the signs above should warrant the urgent intervention of an HVAC expert. However, smart homeowners schedule proactive inspections to make sure they don’t even have to encounter these issues.
While your furnace is working flawlessly, there are a couple of ways you can maintain its current condition and prevent repairs. First and foremost, you should be cleaning and changing the filter every three months to avoid the blower from getting clogged. The vents and ducts of the furnace should also be cleaned while that heater is off to help avoid any damage and even improve air quality indoors.
Professional Assistance
A key step in maintaining your furnace would be hiring the help of an HVAC professional. They have knowledge of how exactly a furnace works and are used to carrying out maintenance work such as tending to the unit’s system, motor, and blades.
Regular maintenance from an expert not only keeps all the components in good condition, but it means any potential issues are spotted before they grow in intensity. Even an annual check-up on your furnace will help you identify issues quicker and work around them, so you don’t have to spend a cold day without the warmth this winter.
Conclusion
Take care of your furnace by keeping it clean and having an HVAC expert do a round of maintenance to preserve its condition. Issues can arise even when you don’t notice them, so keeping a close eye on them and being vigilant about avoiding dirt buildup is the best way to go.
Even in the summer warmth, consider having an HVAC specialist conduct an inspection so that once winter rolls around, you’ll be able to take refuge in a warm and comfortable home.
Spotted a problem and need furnace repair? Mainline Heating And Air provides dependable heating and AC services to Birmingham and surrounding places to help your home and satisfy customers. Call us at (205) 664-4751!
