Winter; days become shorter and nights longer, temperatures drop. With the costs associated with running a primary heating system in a home, what can you do to reduce the shock that occurs when your home heating bill arrives each month?
One thing that can help minimize your heating costs is ensuring your furnace is working efficiently; consider a tune up. As necessary as a check up at the dentist, it’s a means of preventative maintenance to ensure your home’s primary source of heat during the frigid winter months is functioning optimally.
A typical home heating system consists of three parts. A thermostat determines the temperature in your home. When the air temperature drops, the thermostat signals the heater and the blower to turn on. The combustion creates heat while the blower moves air over the heat exchanger, raising its temperature and distributing air throughout the house via heating ducts. Cooler room air is returned to the furnace through returns where it is warmed. The warm-air-out, cool-air in-cycle continues until the desired temperature is reached and the thermostat signals the furnace to shut down.
OK, what’s a tune up? A qualified professional conducts an internal examination and looks to see that there is no black soot or combustion residue on or around the furnace. They’ll then turn up the thermostat so your furnace comes on and will check the flames in the burner. They should be blue and steady. Soot build-up or yellow flames are an indication of poor combustion. With the thermostat turned down, the tech will use a vacuum with a long nozzle to remove any accumulated dust and a damp rag to clean the blades of the blower fan. Finally, clean or replace the filter; this is something you really should do monthly during the heating season. Now your furnace is winter-ready.
aplusair.ca Heating & Air Conditioning wants to help you make informed decisions when it comes to the comfort and enjoyment of your home. With expert staff and second-to-none service, they can provide all your residential and commercial heating and cooling solutions. For more information, visit www.aplusair.ca