What's scarier than stories about haunted houses at Halloween? Owning a regular, un-haunted house all year long! Movies about haunted houses often stand in for the very real fears and frustrations that come with being a homeowner. When the dishwasher overflows, the toilet backs up, the fridge breaks down, or the furnace stops working on a particularly cold night, it may seem almost comforting to be able to blame these misfortunes on a poltergeist. But the fact is, being a homeowner means constantly staying on top of all kinds of maintenance—from the gutters along the roofline to the sump pump in the basement. Some of that stuff you can take care of yourself, but when it comes to big items like your Olathe heating and cooling system, it's a good idea to let a certified professional perform a furnace tune-up before cold weather begins in earnest.
When to Schedule a Furnace Tune-up in Olathe
Of course, it isn't always easy to stay on top of all the maintenance that things around the house require. At least your car, no matter how old it is, probably has a "service engine soon" light that blinks on when you need to visit the mechanic. Wouldn't it be nice if every major appliance in your house was kind enough to let you know when it was time for some routine maintenance?
Fortunately, it's not too hard to remember when to perform a furnace tune-up: The best time is before you turn on the heat for the first time that year. In Olathe, that's probably sometime in late September or early October. Once your furnace kicks on, chances are it'll run throughout the remainder of fall and all winter long. And don't forget that it's got a big (and important) job to do, keeping everyone and everything in your house nice and toasty warm. But there's no "service furnace soon" light to let you know when something isn't working so well, which is why it's a good idea to have an Olathe heating and cooling professional perform an annual furnace tune-up before the fall weather cools off too much.
The Dangers of NOT Getting a Furnace Inspection and Cleaning
Most of the time, your furnace works pretty well. It keeps your family warm on even the coldest nights by circulating heated air throughout your house. But when something goes wrong with your furnace, the danger can be greater than needing to pile on a few extra blankets. As furnaces and heating systems get older, cracks can develop in the furnace heat exchanger, which is the part of the furnace that separates the combustion process from the heated air. If a crack does develop here or a seal fails, there is a risk of carbon monoxide escaping into your home. Meanwhile, dust buildup can make your furnace's burners fragile, while filters that go unchanged may cause stress to the motor that can eventually burn out your circuit board controller.
At best, these problems are expensive to repair. At worst, they can put your family in jeopardy. That's why it's vital to have your Olathe heating and cooling system checked out by a professional at least twice a year to make sure everything is in good shape and operating as it should be. Many manufacturers also require regular maintenance in order to keep your warranty in good standing.
Annual Heating System Tune-ups Improve Energy Efficiency
Furnace tune-ups aren't just about dodging big repair bills or dangerous breakdowns or about not voiding your warranty. A system that runs at peak performance is a system that runs efficiently, and that means energy savings for you! According to the Department of Energy, those savings can be to the tune of up to 15%. That may not sound like much until you take into account that heating and cooling make up nearly half of your total utility bills!
The way to keep your Olathe heating and cooling system running at peak performance is to make sure that you get an air conditioning and furnace tune-up from a professional at least twice a year. This not only helps to address mechanical problems before they lead to costly breakdowns, but your local heating and cooling professionals can also make sure that your furnace is operating at peak efficiency before cold weather strikes!
What You Can Do Yourself to Help Your Furnace through the Winter
Let's take a quick look at what a furnace tune-up and cleaning entails: Specifics can differ a bit from system to system, but you can bet that your heating and cooling service professional will be checking and changing the filter, checking the thermostat, lubricating the blower and bearings, checking the safety controls, inspecting the heat exchanger, and making sure that your system is starting (and running) as it should. That's a lot of different stuff, right? And that's just one of the many reasons why a furnace tune-up should be handled by a heating and cooling professional. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of things that you can do around the house to help your furnace power through the cold weather, though.
Probably the most important thing that you can do is to always change your furnace filters. Clogged filters cause your furnace to work a lot harder, which not only leads to higher heating bills, it can put a big strain on your system. Another thing that you can do is to enter into a preventive maintenance agreement to keep your furnace tune-ups on schedule. That's sort of like building in a "service furnace soon" light, except it's even better, because it means that a heating and cooling professional will be on hand to perform the tune-up as soon as you need it.
Need a Seasonal Furnace Tune-up in Olathe?
To learn more about our VIP Program and preventive maintenance agreements or to schedule a furnace tune-up in Olathe from a heating and cooling professional, call Davenport Service Company at 913-441-2222 today!
