Furnaces are the most common type of home heating system in the country. You probably have one working now to provide winter-time comfort for your family. But did you remember to arrange for a maintenance visit for it during the fall? This is one of the most important services to schedule each year to keep your HVAC system working in the best shape for the longest time possible.<\/p>\n
If you didn\u2019t have maintenance done during the fall of 2015, you shouldn\u2019t skip it and wait for the fall of 2016 to arrive. It is better to have furnace maintenance done later rather than not at all, and here are three good reasons reasons why:<\/p>\n
Gas furnaces are still the kings when it comes to home heating. But like any natural gas-powered appliance, a gas furnace will create safety hazards if it is neglected. Over time, gas furnaces can develop cracks in their heat exchangers that will let carbon monoxide escape into a home\u2019s air, or their various safety precautions might fail. Annual maintenance\u2014no matter when it\u2019s done\u2014will catch potential problems that can make a furnace unsafe and fix them.<\/p>\n
The pressure placed on a furnace during the coldest days of the year makes it more likely for the system to malfunction and stop working at the worst times. Maintenance is basically a type of \u201cinsurance policy\u201d against this happening. The technician will clean and adjust the system to make it less likely to fail, as well as catch any small repair issues and correct them before they become big repair issues.<\/p>\n
Maintenance isn\u2019t just about the short term, which is why you should never skip it even if you get it done late. The best way to see that your furnace reaches it manufacturer\u2019s expected lifespan (usually around 20 years) is to see that it has regular professional care. If you skip maintenance, age will get a faster hold of the system, and you may end up needing to replace it years too soon.<\/p>\n