For many of us, it feels like yesterday that we were bringing in the new year. The year, 2020, has been a crazy one for almost everyone, with COVID-19, the election and all the other news!
Now, as we wind down 2020, we suggest homeowners use this time to look at their HVAC systems and ask themselves: Would I rather take some easy suggestions now, taking minor precautions, or would I rather be stuck needing to hire a local furnace repair company on a chilly night for an emergency furnace repair because my home heating system broke down?
To avoid this kind of crisis, and to keep your energy bills reasonable, our certified HVAC technicians here at Newark-Heath 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 Furnace In The Fall
With your furnace having been unused since the end of last winter, the best strategy to ensure it runs properly again throughout this winter is to begin using it as early as possible in the fall, before it gets too cold, to give its performance capacity a test run and ensure it seems like it is good to go. Doing so enables you to identify problems it’s too late and you can’t go without heat. This helps you to avoid the need for emergency furnace repairs.
Replace Your Air Filters Every Month
Sure, we are making this recommendation all the time. But that’s only because we make it for good reason; it’s important! Checking and replacing your furnace’s air filter frequently is crucial. However, in spite of this, far too many homeowners still fail to check and replace their air filters as regularly as they should, as they need to. If your furnace/home heating system uses the basic fiberglass air filter, you should be replacing it every month during the winter.
Keep All Your Air Vents Open
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a very cost-effective strategy to shut the air vents or registers in the parts of your home you aren’t using to try to save money. The misconception is widespread and prevalent, too: 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 AC system.
Replacement of Thermostat Battery
There are times in which a homeowner will contact us concerned because their heat isn’t working; they suspect something has gone wrong. When we get to their home to make a repair and figure out the problem, however, we quickly see the solution is an extremely easy one for which they did not even need professional HVAC help. In these cases, the homeowner’s heat was not working because they did not change the battery in their 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 three to four years. The amount of time varies a great deal, so it’s not a bad idea to check every season. If your thermostat’s battery is getting up there in age, or you suspect it’s old, or even if you don’t remember the last time you actually replaced it, this should serve as a reminder to try to remember to replace your thermostat’s batteries.
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.
Take Advantage of Our Preventative Maintenance Service!!!
So you might get tired of hearing it. However, we cannot emphasize this too much. Don’t let this all too important piece of advice go in one ear and out the other. Preventative maintenance is essential; it is such a wise investment that comes at such a marginal fee that pays for itself many times over. 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 Newark-Heath Heating & Cooling today at 740-212-5849, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here!
