How You Can Help Your Furnace Live Longer
Your furnace works hard to keep your home warm and comfortable all winter long. Still, like any other utility, it benefits from regular maintenance to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible and to reduce the risk of any inconvenient breakdowns. Proper maintenance for your furnace ensures it lasts years longer, especially compared to one that is poorly maintained. It also means lower energy bills!
1. Tidy Up Around the Furnace
Keeping the area around your furnace uncluttered promotes better airflow. Make sure the area is cleaned regularly and well away from hazardous materials. This prevents fire hazards, ensuring your furnace performs more efficiently.
2. Schedule Yearly HVAC Tune-Ups
Annual maintenance from a certified HVAC professional ensures your furnace’s long-term performance. During the appointment, your technician examines, cleans and otherwise tunes up the system for best performance. This proactive service spots small issues before they become something more serious, preventing costly breakdowns. A regular inspection also reduces energy waste, lowering your monthly energy bills.
3. Invest in Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
Another way to minimize your furnace’s potential workload is to take what steps you can to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Proper insulation and sealing around windows and doors will minimize any heat loss, allowing your furnace to reach a comfortable temperature. When your furnace runs efficiently, it suffers less wear and tear, increasing its lifespan.
4. Address Any Repairs Immediately
If you start noticing strange sounds, stubborn cold spots or unexpected utility spikes, don’t delay checking out these concerns. Even small malfunctions can rapidly evolve into more severe situations. If left unresolved, it could shorten the lifespan of your furnace. Prompt furnace repairs stop 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 run way too much, putting excess stress on the entire system. This increased workload leads to reduced efficiency. To keep it running longer, set your thermostat to an energy-efficient temperature—such as between 68 and 72 degrees F. You can alternatively adjust the temperature by 8 to 10 degrees while you’re away. These simple changes cut costs and reduce further stress on your furnace.
6. Change the Filter on a Regular Basis
The filter captures dirt, fur and other airborne particles to keep them out of the system’s more sensitive components. Over time, the filter gets clogged with debris, obstructing ventilation and forcing your furnace to exert more effort. This unnecessary effort can lead to overheating and sometimes more serious issues.
To maintain efficient performance, remember to check and replace the filter around every 1 to 3 months, depending on your heating habits and the type of filter you use.
7. Upgrade to an Energy-Efficient Model
If your furnace is old and needs more frequent repairs, it may be time to replace it. Modern furnaces provide higher performance than ever while still reducing total power use. Although the initial investment may be higher than a repair, the smaller utility bills and better performance make it a smart choice.
8. Use a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat lets you set precise temperatures in your home, through features such as scheduling automatic setbacks when you’re out or in bed. This cuts back on the time your system is running, saving energy and helping preserve the system.
9. Keep All Vents and Registers Unblocked
Your furnace will only operate at its best when the airflow between supply and return vents is evenly distributed. Sealing off the majority of your supply registers can lead to overheating or force your furnace to exert more effort than it should. To help keep things running smoothly, regularly check that the air vents are open and free from being blocked by any curtains. This allows your furnace to move air as intended.
Trust Hays Cooling, Heating & Plumbing for Reliable Furnace Maintenance
Taking care of your furnace prevents breakdowns, enhances its day-to-day operation and can even ensures a long service life. Hays Cooling, Heating & Plumbing is committed to helping you enjoy a complete sense of comfort. Our experienced technicians deliver fast, truly Expert service.
If it’s been a while since your last furnace tune-up or if you’re looking for more personalized advice to optimize your furnace, please contact us today!
