Before the winter season hits, one thing you want to ensure you do is get professional maintenance service for your heating system. With so many different items in your home needing maintenance, you may wonder if it’s actually necessary to spend your hard-earned money on servicing your heater. Below, we’ll discuss with you the key reasons why heater maintenance is an absolute necessity for every homeowner.
Maintain Warranty Coverage
Probably one of the biggest reasons that you need to invest in professional maintenance for your heater is to maintain its warranty coverage. Most HVAC system manufacturers require routine maintenance every year to keep your warranty in effect. If you fail to get this maintenance, they may deny any future repair warranty claims you submit. This could leave you paying out of pocket for repairs that would have otherwise been covered.
Ensure Efficient Operation
Another reason you need to get HVAC maintenance is to ensure that your system is operating as efficiently as possible. When our technicians service your system, they lubricate moving parts, calibrate your thermostat, and perform many other essential tasks. This all ensures that your system is operating efficiently, so you’re not overpaying for your heating bills. No homeowner wants to end up paying more than they need to heat their home during the winter months.
Guarantee Safe Operation
If your heating system relies on natural gas, propane, or heating oil, it goes through the combustion process to create heat. A part of this process produces toxic exhaust fumes, such as carbon monoxide. Normally, these get vented directly to the outside of your home for optimal safety.
However, if your system has a malfunction, like a crack in its heat exchanger, these toxic fumes could be backing up inside your home. Routine maintenance catches these problems before they become a major health hazard in your home. This can go a long way toward giving you peace of mind about your family’s safety throughout the entire winter.
Reduce Breakdown Risk
No one wants to think about dealing with an HVAC malfunction during the cold weather. Unfortunately, without professional maintenance, you’re more likely to experience a heater malfunction. During our maintenance service, our technicians will inspect all the internal components of your heating system. If they find any defective or worn-out components, they’ll replace them. This goes a long way in drastically reducing your risk of experiencing a system malfunction.
Learn About Remaining System Lifespan
One lesser-known benefit of routine HVAC maintenance is that it gives you crucial insight into the lifespan of your system. Most furnaces last 15 to 20 years, while electric furnaces can last up to 30 years. Heat pumps have a lifespan of about 10 to 15 years, while ductless mini-split units typically last about 15 to 20 years.
If your heating system is getting up there in age, it can be helpful to know when a replacement is likely necessary. Our technicians will evaluate your unit and let you know if replacing it is a good option in the coming years. This will give you more than adequate time to plan a replacement at a time that’s most convenient for you and fits within your budget.
Extend System Lifespan
Another major reason to consider a professional tune-up for your heating system is that it goes a long way in extending its overall lifespan. There’s no doubt that purchasing a new system is quite costly for any homeowner. You want to do everything possible to extend the lifespan of your existing heater so that you get more for your money.
With our professional maintenance, we can ensure all the internal components of your system get the care they need to function optimally. It’s been proven time and time again that HVAC units that receive routine maintenance last several years longer than those that don’t.
Ensure Optimal Home Comfort
Another underrated reason to get professional maintenance for your heater is that it helps to optimize your home comfort throughout the winter. Our technicians are trained to identify issues such as uneven heating, frequent temperature fluctuations, and cold spots in your home. We can identify issues such as airflow problems, dirty components, and system imbalances that may develop over time. Maintenance services allow us to address these issues and optimize your comfort.
When to Schedule Heater Maintenance
Now that you know the importance of getting maintenance for your heating system, the next thing you need to know is when you should schedule it. We highly recommend scheduling a tune-up service in the early fall. This will avoid the wintertime rush and ensure your system operates efficiently the first time you start it for the season.
Join Our Maintenance Membership
One of the best things that you can do to ensure that you never forget heater maintenance is to join our maintenance membership plan. This plan includes two yearly inspections of both your heating and air conditioning systems for all-year-round comfort. Members of our maintenance plan receive special benefits like a 20% discount on repairs and a 10% discount on indoor air quality products. You’ll never be charged overtime or after-hours fees when you’re part of our maintenance plan.
Homeowner Maintenance Responsibilities
Our professional tune-up service is best thought of as an in-depth service to prepare your system for the season. It ensures efficient, safe operation, setting you up for a comfortable home. However, there are steps you need to take as a homeowner to prepare your system and maintain its efficiency throughout the winter season.
One of the most important things you need to do is check the air filter every month. You should pull it out of the filter housing and hold it up to a light to look through it. If you can’t see through the filter, it’s dirty and needs to be replaced. We suggest keeping a spare filter on hand so you can replace it whenever necessary. Most homeowners find that they need to replace their air filter about every two to three months.
We also recommend having a programmable or smart thermostat. This will allow you to optimize your unit’s efficiency by running it only when you actually need heat. We recommend turning it down during the daytime hours when no one’s at home to conserve energy. Smart thermostats often come with helpful features, such as geofencing. This technology can automatically adjust your thermostat’s settings based on your phone’s location.
If your heating system burns propane or heating oil, we suggest calling to get a delivery in the fall. You may even want to sign up for an automatic delivery service so you never run out of heating fuel. Take the time to walk around to all your vents and registers to ensure that they’re completely open and unobstructed.
Reliable Heater Maintenance Service
Ahoy! Cooling & Heating offers reliable heater maintenance service for the Temple Terrace, FL area. We can also assist with all your heater repair, replacement, and new installation needs. Just call our office today to book your next service appointment with one of our helpful technicians.
