Before you turn your heater on, you have some fall maintenance tasks to complete. In fact, it’s a good idea to complete these tasks continually throughout the fall and winter season in order to keep your furnace in the best shape possible.
And if you do notice anything out of the ordinary during your regular maintenance steps, you can give our team a call for furnace repair and Puyallup, WA. Keep reading to learn more about the maintenance steps that can benefit your furnace this year and every year in the future.
Change the Filter
Maybe you forgot to change your air filter at the end of last season. If a dirty air filter is still in place, it is important to change it out with a new, clean air filter. If there’s too much dust and dirt in the air filter, I can block airflow into your furnace. That’s not a great way to start the heating season.
We also encourage you to set a reminder to change the air filter out each month on time for the best heating efficiency. If your filter gets too clogged up with dust and dirt, your furnace will work harder to heat your home, using more energy and ultimately increasing your utility costs.
Inspect Vents and Pipes
You also want to check all of the air vents inside of your home and the exhaust vents outside of your home. Check for any furniture, yard decor, or even debris that is in front of these vents. If heat gets trapped instead of blowing out into your home, it can put a strain on your heater and even cause the system to overheat.
Plus, your home may not get as warm as you would like. In the areas where vents are blocked, the rooms may feel cooler and less comfortable. If the exhaust air that needs to blow outside is trapped, the dirty air may end up recirculating with your clean air and entering your home.
Plan for Professional Maintenance
We also encourage you to look for any signs that something is wrong as you check the items above on your heater. If you notice any signs of damage or feel like something is wrong, give our team a call to schedule a tune-up. Our team can look at your furnace and make sure everything is working correctly.
If there’s anything wrong, we can fix it ahead of fall and winter so that you don’t run into any problems over the two seasons. If you skip out on furnace maintenance, there’s always a chance that you could still need to call us later in the season for repairs or a system breakdown.
Check Your Detectors
Your final step is to check your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors. It is important to have smoke detectors in place no matter what type of heater you have. Generally speaking, smoke detectors have a lifespan of only ten years before they need to be replaced with new ones. Smoke detectors are a safeguard to warn your family in the case of a fire.
If you have gas lines in your home–even if you do not have a gas-powered heating system–we encourage you to have a carbon monoxide detector. This particular type of alarm can alert you to a carbon monoxide leak. After all, natural gas does not have an odor, so a detector may be the only way to identify a gas leak and get it fixed. Otherwise, your family could breathe in the gas and get sick. Not to mention the fire hazards that are posed by leaking gas.
Contact Sound Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. today to schedule an appointment for furnace service! We take your comfort as seriously as you do.