How to Get the Most Out of Your Furnace

Staying warm and cozy during the winter months in the greater Northern Virginia area is easy when you have a properly working furnace at your home. Unfortunately, homeowners often become so busy as the year winds down, finishing up projects at work and shopping for the holidays that they sometimes neglect to have a qualified professional come out and make sure the furnace is clean and working as efficiently as possible.

When you have young children, elderly people or someone recovering from an illness in the home, it’s especially important to make sure that the furnace will be providing reliable heat during the harshness of winter. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your heating system.

Filter

A clogged filter makes it harder for your furnace to do its job. Trying to force air through accumulated dust and debris puts excess wear and tear on the equipment. Accordingly, you‚’ll want to change the filter on a regular basis, typically once a month during winter.

This is especially the case when you are running the furnace every day. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for a filter changing schedule and you will help keep the furnace operating in tip-top shape.

Thermostat

Is the thermostat properly calibrated? That is, when the display reads ‚”68 F” is the temperature really 68 or is it actually a bit warmer or colder? A technician will make sure that the thermostat is accurate so that it will control the furnace better.

Our staffers will also be happy to advise you on programming the thermostat so that you can heat your home more efficiently, lowering your future utility bills.

Monitoring the Situation

Whenever you are dealing with heat and fuel in your home, it’s important to observe all safety guidelines. As a furnace operates, if the fuel doesn’t completely burn, an invisible, colorless gas called carbon monoxide can be generated. This underscores the need of homeowners to arrange for regular service calls from a qualified HVAC technician to check that the furnace is running properly and is free of defects.

In addition, homeowners who rely on furnaces for heat need to take steps to ensure their family’s safety by installing carbon monoxide detectors. Since these devices must have their batteries changed on a regular basis, it would be a good idea to switch them out at the same time you change the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors.

This is convenient, since some people are more accustomed to having smoke alarms than they are to carbon monoxide detectors and may otherwise forget to keep them powered. A carbon monoxide detector will typically sound an alert when its batteries are about to run out, but why would you want to wait until the last minute to refresh its power supply when your family’s health is at stake?

Is Your Furnace Ancient and Inefficient?

Depending on how long you’ve been living at your home, it’s possible that your furnace has seen better days. It might have been the best model in its category when it was first installed by the previous homeowner, but now it cannot compete with newer and more energy-efficient models.

When your furnace technician comes to check out the equipment and give it any necessary cleaning, it’s a good idea to have a talk with him or her about your options for replacement with a better model.

When kept clean, inspected and maintained on a periodic basis, the furnace that keeps you and your family warm during the cold winter months should continue to give you reliable service. It’s easy for homeowners to get distracted during the busy winter months, so it’s understandable if it’s been a while since you’ve had an HVAC professional to come and clean the furnace. For more information on our furnace services in Northern Virginia or to make an appointment with one of our friendly and knowledgeable technicians, please call the team at AirPlus today (571) 470-7235.

The post How to Get the Most Out of Your Furnace appeared first on HVAC Services Lorton | AirPlus Heating & Cooling.