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5 Ways To Extend The Life of Your Furnace

5 Ways To Extend The Life of Your Furnace

A heating system makes your home a warm and comfortable place to be. When it breaks down, temperature conditions can be miserable. But with a few simple practices, you can keep your running longer. Keep your home warm and cozy all winter long as your HVAC works to meet your home’s needs. When your furnace is working well, you’ll bring down energy bills, keep it around longer, and have a more comfortable living space.

1. Replace filters often.

Furnace filters can easily build up dust and debris as they filter the air that blows into your home. These filters keep your air clean, but when they’re dirty it gets harder and harder for your HVAC to blow air through them—they need to be replaced regularly. Don’t make your furnace work harder to get your air to you. Replacing your filter can be done in just a few minutes, it’s an easy task. You should be charging your filter about every three months. However, this will differ based on your living situation. If you have pets, that means pet hair flying through your air vents; your filter may need to be replaced more often.

2. Seal any air leaks.

Don’t pay to keep your home warm and then let the air escape to the frigid outdoors. When there are air leaks in your home, your furnace will have to work harder to heat the space; this is very common in old houses. You may benefit from replacing an old window or uneven door. Do what you can to seal the air in your house to keep it warm through the cold season and save your furnace from working harder. It will also bring down those heating bills!

3. Give it a break.

Your furnace needs breaks too. Running your system 24/7 will lead it to wear down faster. Once in a while, give it some downtime. You could program it to take a few hours break during the day when you aren’t home. Taking advantage of space heaters may also help. However you do it, just give it a little downtime once in a while.

4. Schedule regular inspections.

An advanced system like an HVAC should have a regular inspection to keep it running strong. You can have the peace of mind that it’s running at its highest capacity. Because the furnace is used so much during the winter months, it may be a good idea to have it inspected in the fall, be sure that you won’t run into any hiccups when you need your heating system the most. Avoid freezing nights with the insurance that you furnace is ready for winter.

5. Create good air circulation in your house.

Having good ventilation throughout your home will make your HVAC’s job easier. Remove any obstructions from airways, don’t block air vents, and keep doors open. Good air circulation will keep your house ventilated, give your HVAC a break, and help to reduce the risk of mold and bacterial growth in your home.

   
How To Make Your HVAC System Last Longer

How To Make Your HVAC System Last Longer

Your Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is more than a considerable investment. It’s absolutely vital to your family’s comfort both in the summer and the winter but how can you make your HVAC system last longer?

Here are our five key tips for getting the longest life out of your HVAC system:

1. Replace Filters Often

Because air filters filter out dust, dirt, and debris, it can get clogged up and dirty fast. Replacing this filter regularly will not only keep your air cleaner, but it will extend the life of your HVAC. When this filter is blogged up, your HVAC will have to work harder to pump air through to your home. This will up your energy bill and ware down your HVAC system faster. You should be replacing your filter every few months, the need will likely to change based on the environment of your home. For example, if you have pets in your home, you may need to change your filter more regularly.

2. Schedule Regular Inspections

To ensure that your HVAC is running at high capacity, it should be inspected regularly. As seasons change and the function of your HVAC is changing, it’s generally a good idea to schedule an inspection. Like having a regular check up at the doctor, these inspections will ensure that your system is running well and will continue to run well. These preventative measures can help you avoid spending a miserable summer day without air conditioning or a cold winter night without heating.

3. Keep Your Air Vents and Ducts Clean

Polluted air vents and ducts can make harder work for your HVAC. Similar to your filter, when these things are clogged up with dust and debris, it can mean unclean air and a worn out HVAC system. Do your system a favor and clean out your air vents and ducts regularly. This cleaning will also ensure cleaner air for your house. Bring in better air quality and save the money needed in repairs or replacement for your HVAC with a simple cleaning once in a while.

4. Give Your HVAC a Break

Keeping your HVAC running 24/7 can mean a warn out system. If you give it a break once in a while, it’ll last longer. Maybe shut if off and open up your windows or turn on a fan. You could give your HVAC a break a few hours during the night when you’re sleeping, or during the day when you aren’t home. Either way, make sure to give it some time off once in a while to ensure it keeps running at full capacity for years to come.

5. Create Good Circulation

You can also make work easier for your HVAC system by creating good air circulation in your house. Part of your HVAC’s job is to circulated air throughout the home. This job is a lot easier when interior doors are open, and airways are unblocked. Be sure that furniture and other obstacles are not blocking any vents, windows, doors, and other air ways. Good air flow will not only encourage circulation and ventilation, but it will also help to reduce the risk of mold and bacteria growth. Give your HVAC a break and increase the quality of your air with some good circulation in your house.

Preparing Your Home for Winter Season Starts in Early Fall

Preparing Your Home for Winter Starts in Early Fall

To make sure you and your family stay cozy and stress-free this winter, there are some chores you should attend to long before the snow starts to fly. Early fall is the best time to prepare your home for winter; the weather is still nice enough to easily get things done both inside and outside, and you’ll be confident that you will stay warm long before you feel cold. Practicing good home-owner maintenance now will make for a much more enjoyable winter season later.

Heating System Tune Up

One of the most important things to prepare long before winter hits is your heating system, making fall a great time to have a professional come to your home to inspect your furnace. Hire someone trustworthy like the professionals at Complete Heating and Air to make sure your system is clean and functioning properly. They will make sure your HVAC is working efficiently so that you will stay warm all winter long.

Reverse your Fans

Contrary to what you may believe, your ceiling fans are good for much more than keeping cool in the summer. You can use your fans to make the most of your heating and cooling by maximizing your use of that cool or warm air. In the fall, reverse your fans so that they rotate in a clockwise direction. This will cause an updraft and push the heated air down from the ceiling and into the room. By moving the warm air from the ceiling back down into the room you will stay warmer and even save money on your utility bills.

Inspect your Roof

Winter is the last time of year you want to be worrying about a problem with your roof. Get ahead of any potential repairs by examining your roof in early fall for any problems with your shingles or other visible signs of damage. It may even be worth it to hire a professional every few years to do a more thorough check.

Check your Air Filter

While you are taking care of the various maintenance items around your home in early fall, be sure to check your air filters. If they are clogged be sure to change them as soon as possible to avoid reducing air flow and avoid other problems with your HVAC system. Ideally, you should be changing (or at the very least, checking) your air filter each month.

Get Duct Work Cleaned

Along with a tune up of your HVAC system, you should make sure your air ducts are clean and clear to improve efficiency and air quality. Hire a professional to give them a thorough cleaning by clearing your vents, cooling coils, fans, and heat exchanges of dust and other debris.

Seal Cracks

Stay warm and cozy this winter by making sure you’re not losing warm air through cracks or leaks around your windows and doors. In early fall you should inspect your home for things like worn weather stripping or cracks in caulk. Get these replaced or repaired as quickly as possible.

If your heater has any problems or for a system tune up, contact Sandy Heating and Air this fall to prep your heating system for winter.