Heating your home in the fall and winter is one of the largest expenses you’ll have every month as a homeowner in Weldon Springs, MO. Fixing your furnace isn’t cheap, but replacing your heating system costs even more. Here are five tips for adding years to your furnace lifespan to get as much mileage as possible from your home heating system:
Replace Your Filters Regularly
Replacing the filters is the most cost-effective step you can take to reduce wear-and-tear on your furnace. Manufacturers recommend replacing your filters every 90 days as a general guideline, but your needs may vary. If your home has a lot of dust or you have family members with asthma or allergies, you should probably change your filters every month.
When the filter is dirty, your furnace struggles to do its job effectively. This added stress wears your furnace down quicker, resulting in the need for a new system sooner than expected.
For this same reason, dirty filters lead to higher heating costs. But with a simple change of your furnace filter, you can save money on utility bills, reduce strain on your heater and save money on repairs too.
Prioritize Annual HVAC Maintenance
Every machine loses efficiency with use, and components will loosen and wear out due to constant vibrations and friction. But many homeowners neglect furnace maintenance until the damage gets so bad that repairs or replacement is unavoidable. We provide our valued customers with maintenance tuneups to keep your furnace running smoothly and efficiently for many years.
As a maintenance agreement member, you receive an annual tuneup for your heating system in the fall and an annual tuneup for your cooling system in the spring. You also receive discounts on parts and repairs along with other benefits, so check out our preventive maintenance program and sign up today.
Take Steps to Reduce Heat Loss
Maintaining efficiency is key to extending the lifespan of your furnace. So, after you optimize your HVAC system for efficiency, check the rest of your home for heat loss.
Seal cracked weatherstripping around doors and windows. Replace old, worn-out insulation in walls, attics and basements to further keep the heat in and the cold out during the winter. If you own an older home, consider replacing your old single-pane glass windows with energy-efficient windows to reduce heat loss even more.
Improve Airflow and Circulation
Your furnace itself could be running perfectly. But dirty air vents and leaky ductwork create cold spots in some rooms. And then you’ll be running your heater more frequently and making it wear out faster.
Be sure vents and registers are clean and are wide open to maximize airflow. Be careful that bookshelves, floor rugs and furniture don’t block air vents and registers.
Schedule Furnace Repairs Quickly
Your central HVAC system has many different components inside and outside your home that all work together to provide clean, comfortable air to every room of the house. But when one component breaks down or isn’t functioning properly, it puts additional strain on the other components and causes the damage to spread.
Whenever you notice a problem with your furnace, whether uncommon noises or smells or loss of heat in one or more parts of your home, be sure to address it immediately. Deferring maintenance and repairs until a later date will only cause the problem to worsen. If you want to extend the lifespan of your furnace, you’ll need to make repairs as soon as possible.
Don’t make your furnace wear out faster than necessary. Call Fresh Air Heating & Cooling for furnace repairs to extend the life of your heating system.
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