Don’t Let Your Furnace Breakdown This Winter

Indeed, there is a “season for everything under the sun.”

As such, it seems like yesterday that we were all welcoming in the new year of 2020. What a year 2020 has been for us, with the changing times, the election and COVID-19!

And now, as we keep moving along approaching the end of another year, with our clocks going back a full hour for Daylight Savings Time — home heating season and holiday season is here in full swing. 

For the majority of homeowners, everything is probably going good and well right now — everyone’s furnaces are doing their thing, performing, and heating their dwellings without any issues — there are some vital things homeowners need to know when it comes to their home heating systems, certain steps they should take to support their furnaces to ensure continued optimal performance.

Considering the big picture, this is a good time to look at our HVAC systems and ask ourselves: Would I rather take some easy suggestions now, taking minor precautions, or would I rather be stuck needing to hire a local furnace repair company close to me on a chilly night for an emergency furnace repair because my home heating system broke down?

To avoid this kind of crisis, our certified HVAC technicians here at Lancaster Furnace & Air Conditoning present a list of six easy suggestions for homeowners to do to avoid the threat of having to make emergency HVAC repairs this winter:

Change Air Filters Every Month

We get it. We make this recommendation all the time. Nonetheless, we make it for good reason: Checking and changing your furnace’s air filter frequently is extremely important. Yet in spite of this, way too many people still fail to check and replace their air filters as frequently as they need to. If your furnace uses the basic standard fiberglass air filter, you should replace it every month during the winter. 

Keep All Air Vents Open

Despite popular belief, it’s not a cost-effective strategy to close the air vents or registers in the parts of your home you aren’t using. The misconception is common, too: A lot of people think this saves them money and energy. The reason this is not helpful is because it makes your HVAC system far less efficient and causes other problems that are bad for your furnace and AC.

Thermostat Battery Replacement

There are occasions in which a homeowner will call us concerned because their heat went out. When we get to their home and figure out the problem, we find out the solution is an extremely simple one: Occasionally, a homeowner’s heat will go out because they failed to change their thermostat’s battery. They would have solved the issue on their own (or avoided it) if they’d simply changed their thermostat’s battery. We encourage you not to be that homeowner.

Most of the time, a thermostat battery is good for three to four years. If your thermostat’s battery is getting old, or if you don’t remember the last time you replaced it, let this serve as a reminder to remember to replace your batteries.

Proper Use Of The Thermostat

On the other hand, from time to time we get a homeowner who is concerned their furnace won’t turn off. They find that it’s blowing air, it’s running continuously, but the air it’s blowing isn’t warm. In some of these circumstances, sometimes we find there isn’t anything wrong, other than user error. In these cases, the problem is that the thermostat is on the wrong setting. Because of this, it’s important to realize the difference between the settings: “Auto” and “On.”

The following explains the importance of how to use your thermostat properly:

• With the “On” Setting: If the thermostat is set to “ON” the fan will constantly run, even if the furnace is not producing heat. When the fan is “ON” it will continue to blow air through your vents regardless of the furnace.
• With the “Auto” Setting: If the thermostat is on “AUTO” the furnace fan only runs if the furnace is creating heat. If the furnace stops producing heat, the fan will shut “Automatically” turn off.

Start Furnace In The Fall

With your furnace having been off since the previous winter, the smartest way to ensure it runs properly this winter is to start using it in the fall, before it gets too cold, to demonstrate its performance capacity and ensure everything is good to go. Doing this allows you to identify problems it’s too late and you can’t afford to lose heat. This enables you to to avoid the need for emergency furnace repairs.

Take Advantage of Our Preventative Maintenance Service!!!

We emphasize this so much and so frequently, people might get tired of hearing it, or allow it to go in one ear and out the other. Be that as it may, it still doesn’t downgrade the fact that preventative maintenance is a very wise investment that comes at such a marginal fee that pays for itself tenfold. We urge homeowners, if you have not done so already, to give us a call to set up your annual furnace tune up as soon as possible so you can reap the rewards of preventative maintenance. If you are able to schedule your appointment early in the season, you’re more apt to get a more convenient time. One of our highly experienced top notch experts would be happy to come over and tune up your furnace and diagnose any minor issues that could potentially evolve into major problems during the winter.

Homeowners who have newer HVAC systems, you should understand that almost all of the manufacturers of these newer furnaces, heat pumps and AC systems mandate homeowners to have maintenance performed consistently every year to keep their warranties active.

When it comes to something as intricate as a furnace or any HVAC system for that matter, it pays off in the end, in dividends, to be proactive with your expensive HVAC systems rather than being reactive. It’s no different than getting the oil changed in your car. Ask yourself how much it would cost to replace this system.

Call us today at (740) 625-2320, or click here to schedule an appointment now!

We truly hope to hear from you, and wish you the happiest, safest and most comfortable holiday season yet to come.

Many blessings!