How You Can Help Your Furnace Live Longer
Your furnace is working round the clock to keep your home at a warm, comfortable temperature all winter long. However, like any other utility, it does best with consistent upkeep to ensure it runs smoothly and to reduce the risk of any inconvenient breakdowns. Maintaining your furnace ensures it lasts years longer, especially compared to one left alone. It also means more affordable energy use!
1. Tidy Up Around the Furnace
Keeping the area around your furnace uncluttered encourages better airflow. Make sure the area is kept dust-free and well away from flammable materials. This avoids any safety issues, ensuring your furnace performs more effectively.
2. Schedule Yearly HVAC Tune-Ups
Annual maintenance from a certified HVAC professional supports your furnace’s reliable operation. During the appointment, the technician examines, cleans and otherwise optimizes the system for best performance. This preventative care detects small issues sooner rather than later, preventing costly failures. A regular inspection also reduces energy waste, saving you more money on energy bills.
3. Reduce Your Home’s Energy Loss
Another way to minimize your furnace’s overall workload is to take what steps you can to enhance your home’s energy efficiency. Proper insulation and other sealing accessories around windows and doors will keep heat from escaping, making it easier for your furnace to reach a comfortable temperature. When your furnace runs efficiently, it suffers less wear and tear, increasing its lifespan.
4. Fix Problems as Soon as You Notice
If you notice unusual noises, uneven heating or higher energy bills, don’t delay checking out these signs of trouble. Even small problems can rapidly evolve into more severe breakdowns. If left unresolved, it could reduce the overall service life of your furnace. Prompt furnace repairs help avoid further damage and keep your system running.
5. Set Your Furnace to a Reasonable Temperature
Setting your thermostat beyond energy-efficient levels forces your furnace to work overtime, putting extra wear on the entire system. This added energy load causes extra wear and tear. To minimize this kind of gradual damage, set your thermostat to an energy-efficient temperature—ideally between 68 and 72 degrees F. You can additionally adjust the temperature by around 8-10° while you’re away. These strategies save energy and reduce further stress on your furnace.
6. Replace the Filter Regularly
The filter traps dust, animal dander and other airborne airborne contaminants to keep them out of the system’s more sensitive components. Over time, the filter fills up with debris, obstructing ventilation and causing your furnace to exert more effort. This added strain may cause more problems and sometimes permanent system damage.
To avoid those kinds of problems, remember to check and swap out the filter on a regular basis, depending on total usage and the type of filter in place.
7. Consider Replacing an Old Furnace
If your furnace is old and breaks down more often, it may be time to upgrade. Modern furnaces provide higher performance than ever while still reducing total power use. Although the upfront cost may be higher than a repair, the total lifetime repair costs and better performance make it worthwhile.
8. Consider Trying a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat allows you to truly fine-tune the heating in your home, through features such as scheduling automatic setbacks when you’re away or sleeping. This cuts back on operating time, lowering your energy bill and helping preserve the system.
9. Maintain Proper Circulation
Your furnace will only function best when the circulation between supply and return vents is evenly distributed. Blocking or closing the majority of your supply registers can cause overheating or force your furnace to exert more effort than it should. To help keep things running smoothly, make sure that your air vents are open and free from being blocked by any curtains. This enables your furnace to move air efficiently.
Choose Motta Heating and Air Conditioning to Keep Your Furnace Running
Maintaining your furnace reduces the risk of malfunctions, enhances its day-to-day operation and can even promote a longer service life. Motta Heating and Air Conditioning is committed to helping you maintain a comfortable home environment. Our experienced technicians deliver fast, trustworthy service.
If it’s been a while since your last maintenance visit or if you’re interested in customized recommendations to strengthen your furnace, please contact us today!
