“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s one of the truest clichés when it comes to the care of your home. Any time that you can stop a problem from happening in the first place, do it! It’ll save you a much greater expenditure of time and money later on. And this time of year, when you’re considering prevention, your furnace should be at the top of your list.
Whether it’s gas or electric, brand-new or many years old, your furnace requires annual maintenance. This will help it to run more efficiently, and to keep your home more evenly heated. It’ll stop serious safety hazards from developing. Perhaps best of all, annual furnace maintenance will massively reduce the frequency of furnace repair needs. Here’s how it works.
The Steps of Furnace Maintenance
Now, since not all furnaces are the same, details will differ. For example, if your furnace burns natural gas, the ignition system, gas lines, and heat exchanger will need to be cleaned and inspected. If your furnace is electric, there will be more electrical components, like the heating elements, for your technician to check. But don’t forget that all furnaces do have some electrical components!
The first step in furnace maintenance is cleaning. This is a complex system with many parts, and some portions of it will need to be disassembled to be thoroughly cleaned. This cleaning will remove a year’s worth of dust and grime. With that mess out of the way, airflow through the system will be much improved, and friction and overheating will be minimized.
Your technician will also inspect and test all the components. Any misalignments, miscalibrations, loose screws, or worn parts can be addressed now. This way, a minor issue won’t have the chance to worsen until it becomes a serious repair need. Then, with a dab of lubricant on moving parts to reduce wear and tear, your furnace will be ready for another long winter’s work.
Reduced Repair Needs
Part of the reason for the 85%—yes, you read that right—drop in repair needs once a furnace has received maintenance is because it will run more smoothly. Good air circulation, clean parts, no insulating blankets of dust causing overheating, and no grit or unlubricated parts causing friction add up to a system that won’t experience as much strain.
That also means it won’t have to run as much of the time! When the system works more effectively and more efficiently, it can heat your home with fewer, shorter heating cycles. That’ll cut down on your energy bills, and it will also cut down on the wear and tear on the system, further reducing repair needs—and extending the lifespan of the furnace!
Finally, that careful inspection and testing will eliminate the causes of so many problems. A loose screw won’t have the opportunity to work the rest of the way free and clatter into other parts, causing damage. A broken fan blade won’t have time to do its job more and more poorly until the system overheats and shuts down. It will all be taken care of before you need to worry about it.
Schedule your furnace maintenance now so you can avoid furnace repair in Sterling, VA this winter.
AllTech Services, Inc. is your trusted resource for all your heating concerns. Contact us today!