How Often Should I Get My Furnace Serviced?
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The summer’s behind us and the cold of the winter months is approaching, which means most homeowners find themselves asking this question eventually: How often SHOULD I get My furnace serviced? Common sense dictates you should have an HVAC professional come in regularly to assess your system, but how regularly? Yearly? Biannually? Once every few years? If you want to properly understand how often your furnace needs service, it’s important to know the reasons why it needs service to begin with.
Type of Furnaces
There are four main types of furnaces you can find in the average American home: gas, oil, electric, and propane. Each of these furnaces offer different pros and cons, but the vast majority of them only require annual servicing. Propane furnaces, on the other hand, require some TLC twice a year; every six months ideally. Most HVAC professionals will tell you to get the service in the shoulder seasons during the fall and the spring; before and after it gets the most use.
Detect Potential Problems
The biggest reason you want to get service is to get professional eyes on the furnace; eyes that will be able to see red flags that the average homeowner can easily miss. Cracks in the heat exchanger, worn out parts, internal rust and decay, and other signs of imminent system breakdown. It’s a lot like going to the doctor: the more often you go, the easier it is to catch warning signs of a larger problem down the road. And, like health problems, catching them early makes fixing them a lot easier and a lot cheaper.
Keep A Valid Warranty
Most manufacturers require homeowners to keep up with regular maintenance to maintain a valid warranty. If your furnace breaks and the problem falls under the warranty, the manufacturer will likely ask you for the maintenance records. Without them, they can claim negligence on your part and void the warranty, making you pay for the repair within the warranty period. In the event of a major emergency, you want the peace of mind knowing that your warranty will cover any massive unexpected breakdown of your system.
Carbon Monoxide Leaks
One of the worst case scenarios for your furnace is to start leaking dangerous carbon monoxide gas. While it may sound similar to the harmless carbon dioxide we breathe out, don’t be fooled. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an insidiously harmful as without any sort of odor. Prolonged exposure to the gas can cause fainting and even death. Specialized detectors can find it in your home, but the obvious preference is for it to stay out of your home entirely. Furnace leaks are one of the most common sources of CO in homes. Cracks in heat exchangers are the main culprit. Regular maintenance can identify the early warning signs of CO leaks in your furnace and help you act before it’s too late.
The Takeaway
“How Often Should I Get My Furnace Serviced?” Probably once a year, if not twice. Spring and fall are the two best possible times for this to happen; right before the opening of heating season and right after it’s over. Being September in New England, we know how quickly the weather can get cold. We got snow last year for Halloween. Make sure your furnace is ready for what’s to come and schedule some furnace service from Dempsey Energy today.
If you have questions about energy efficient plumbing, contact us online or call our office at (617) 668-1086. We look forward to hearing from you!
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