All too often, home heating systems are taken for granted until a problem arises.
And while we are always available to help when furnace problems do arise, we’d also like to make suggestions to help homeowners avoid them in the first place.
To avoid furnace problems, our certified HVAC technicians here at Dayton Premier Heating & Cooling composed a list of six easy suggestions for homeowners to do to avoid the threat of having to make emergency HVAC repairs this winter:
Start Your System Early
Because furnaces are offline for a large portion of the year, the best strategy to ensure heating equipment runs properly again throughout the coming winter is to start it up as early as possible in the fall, before it gets too cold, to give it a test run to make sure it’s good to go. Doing so offers you the opportunity to identify problems before it’s too late and you can’t afford to go without heat. This also enables you to avoid the need for emergency furnace repairs.
Replace Air Filters Monthly
We make this recommendation frequently. And yet, all too often it falls on deaf ears. Nevertheless, it’s important! Checking and replacing your furnace’s air filter regularly is crucial. If they get dirty, it hinders airflow which causes damage and spikes heating costs. It can even cause breakdown. If your furnace uses the basic fiberglass air filter, you should be replacing it every month throughout the winter.
Keep Air Vents Open
Despite what a lot of people believe, it’s actually not very cost-effective to shut the air vents or registers in the parts or rooms of a home that aren’t being used to try to save money. The misconception is common, nonetheless. Some people believe this saves them money and energy, but it does more harm than good. The reason this isn’t helpful is because it makes your HVAC system far less efficient and puts strain on it which can bring about other problems that are bad for your furnace and Air Conditioner.
Replacement of Thermostat Battery
There are times in which we go to make a repair and figure out the problem is the battery in the customer’s thermostat. They could have easily solved this on their own (or better yet avoided it) if they’d only remembered to change their thermostat’s battery, or at least have checked it. We encourage you not to let this happen. On an average, overall, a thermostat’s battery is only good for a couple years. The amount of time varies, so it’s good to check every season. If your thermostat’s battery is getting older, or if you don’t remember the last time you actually replaced it, let this serve as a reminder to try to remember to replace them.
Know Your Thermostat’s Settings
On the other hand, from time to time we get a homeowner who is concerned their furnace won’t turn off. They find that it’s blowing air, it’s running continuously, but the air it’s blowing isn’t warm. In some of these circumstances, sometimes we find there isn’t anything wrong, other than user error. In these cases, the problem is that the thermostat is on the wrong setting. Because of this, it’s important to realize the difference between the settings: “Auto” and “On.”
The following explains the importance of how to use your thermostat properly:
- With the “On” Setting: If the thermostat is set to “ON” the fan will constantly run, even if the furnace is not producing heat. When the fan is “ON” it will continue to blow air through your vents regardless of the furnace.
- With the “Auto” Setting: If the thermostat is on “AUTO” the furnace fan only runs if the furnace is creating heat. If the furnace stops producing heat, the fan will shut “Automatically” turn off.
Schedule Preventative Maintenance Every Fall!!!
Preventative maintenance is essential; it is such a wise investment that comes at such a marginal fee that pays for itself. Because of this, we suggest if you haven’t done so already, to give us a call to set up your annual furnace tune up as soon as possible so you can reap the rewards of preventative maintenance. Our highly experienced HVAC technicians are top notch experts on keeping furnaces running optimally and they are happy to come over and tune up your furnace and diagnose any minor issues to ensure your system thrives through the winter.
Homeowners who have newer HVAC systems should note that almost all of the manufacturers of these newer furnaces, heat pumps and AC systems mandate they have a certified HVAC technician perform maintenance each year to keep their warranties active.
When it comes to something as intricate as a furnace or any HVAC system for that matter, it pays off in the end, in dividends, to be proactive with your expensive HVAC systems rather than being reactive. It’s no different than getting the oil changed in your car.
Just think about it: How much it would cost to replace your home heating system?
How much money are you wasting on extraordinarily high energy bills?
We can Help! Call Dayton Premier Heating & Cooling today at (937) 412-2899
