You know how quickly dust can accumulate on your computer screen. And you know how dirt and rain can congeal on your car windshield to form a foggy, blotchy haze. And neat freaks everywhere would certainly “freak” if they didn't clean their kitchen counter after (and maybe even before) preparing a meal.
When dirt gets in our way, we clean it up. It's a nuisance, and it can sometimes be unhealthy.
Dust and dirt also accumulates and congeals on your heating system, contributing to malfunctions that trigger many of the heating repair calls that Experts In Your Home makes to northern California residents during the fall and winter.
Cleaning your furnace isn't the only task that an Experts In Your Home heating repair technician may perform during an annual maintenance check, but it's definitely one of the most important.
Dirt Alone Triggers Heating Repair Calls
A buildup of dust, dirt and grime on your furnace is more than a nuisance; it interferes with the operation of your furnace, causing it to run sluggishly and far less efficiently. In the worst cases, in which a furnace has been neglected for several years, the buildup can be so intense that it causes the furnace to shut down.
During Experts In Your Home's annual maintenance check – which we sometimes refer to as a annual furnace “tune-up” – we clean and lubricate all the moving parts in your furnace until they sparkle and shine and your furnace hums along smoothly and quietly.
Before we get too carried away, we also check the filter – another prime place where dust, dirt and other airborne particles gather. But better that they build up here than on your furnace's operating components. The tricky part for many homeowners is remembering to check their filter every month. When they wait too long between checks, the filter can become so overstuffed with dust and dirt that the overflow has long since settled on the furnace (and the floor around the furnace) – contributing to an already declining situation.
With a fully clean heating system, homeowners reap three immediate benefits:
- Better air flow, which means that your furnace won't have to run any longer than necessary to reach the temperature you've set on your thermostat. (It also means that you should save some money on your energy bill.)
- Better performance, which means that you should sidestep furnace malfunctions and extend your furnace's longevity.
- Better indoor air quality, which means that everyone in your home – and especially those who suffer from allergies, asthma and other breathing difficulties – should breathe easier.
Experts In Your Home Heating Inspections are Thorough
Once they slay the most serious threat to a furnace, Experts heating repair technicians follow a checklist provided by the U.S. Department of Energy during maintenance and repair calls. We encourage homeowners to watch us and learn about their heating system as we:
- Inspect the entire heating system, from the heat exchanger to the thermostat
- Set the burners for proper combustion and ignition
- Tighten the electrical connections and measure the voltage
- Test the tension of the fan belt
- Check the condensate drain, chimney and flue
- Conduct a carbon monoxide test to ensure the continued safety of your family
Add Up the Benefits
It helps to think of regular furnace maintenance as an investment because it:
- Allows us to spot and fix minor problems before they develop into bigger, more expensive ones.
- Spares you the stress and expense of a furnace breakdown.
- Keeps your utility bills in check.
- Preserves the considerable investment you've already made in your furnace.
The next time you clean your computer screen or kitchen counter, perhaps your thoughts will turn to your furnace and all the dust and dirt building up there. When you call Experts In Your Home, we won't let dirt get in the way of your furnace. We'll clean it up – and then some.
