Avoid Losing Heat in Your Westerville Area Home
According to the ancient wisdom: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Indeed, the seasons are changing yet again and winter is upon us.
As we peel back the pages of the calendar and approach the end of 2020, furnace season is well underway.
For the majority of homeowners, things are more-than-likely going well so far in regards to keeping their homes nice and warm. And while everyone’s furnace is doing its thing, pumping out heated air to keep their homes safe and warm without any issues — we would like to use this time to remind everyone of some important steps homeowners should take to keep their HVAC systems stable and healthy all winter long.
To prevent unwanted breakdowns necessitating emergency repairs and avoid gross energy inefficiencies, our friendly HVAC technicians here at Westerville Air Conditioning & Heating put together the following list of 6 easy steps to keep your HVAC system running all winter long:
Change Those Air Filters
We realize that we make this suggestion so often, some of you might be tired of seeing it. Regardless, we give this tip for a legitimate reason: Checking, replacing or cleaning your HVAC system’s air filters frequently is imperative. And yet far too many residents still fail to do so like they should, which causes all sorts of problems. Furnaces utilizing basic standard pleated fiberglass air filters, should be replaced every month in the wintertime.
Keep All Registers and Vents Open
This misconception is a common one that’s fairly widespread. Many homeowners believe it will save them money if they keep the registers or air vents closed in parts of the home they aren’t presently using. This is not true. The reason it’s not beneficial is because keeping them closed makes your furnace become less efficient and this causes more problems that are bad for your HVAC systems.
Check or Change Thermostat Batteries
Sometimes, we get calls from homeowners who are upset that their heat is out. When we send a technician out to their home to diagnose the problem, there are times when they find the solution is an overly easy one, something simple the homeowner overlooked. Sometimes, the problem is caused because the homeowner failed to check the battery in their thermostat. The problem could have been fixed by themselves (or avoided it) if they would have only replaced 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 checked it or replaced it, this should serve as a good reminder to remember to do so.
Proper Thermostat Settings
In addition to having bad batteries, there are times when homeowners call who are worried their furnace won’t turn off. They note that it is blowing air, continuously running, but that it’s not blowing warm air. With these sorts of calls, sometimes we discover there isn’t anything wrong at all except for user error. In these instances, the user error is that the thermostat is set on the wrong setting. The homeowner has it set to “ON” instead of “AUTO.” To explain the difference between the settings: “AUTO” and “ON” we present the following:
- “ON” Setting: A thermostat that is set on “ON” makes the fan run constantly, even when the furnace isn’t making heat. Just remember, if the fan is “ON” it will continue blowing air through your vents even when your furnace is off.
- “AUTO” Setting: A thermostat that is on “AUTO” will only engage the fan when the furnace is on and producing heat. Just remember, when the furnace is making heat, the fan will turn on automatically, and likewise when the furnace is off, the fan shuts off automatically.
Start Using Furnace In The Fall
With your home’s heating system having been unused since the end of last winter, the best way to figure out if it will run well this winter is to begin using it when fall arrives, long before it becomes too cold outside, to check its performance abilities and make sure everything is good to go. Doing so gives homeowners the opportunity to detect potential problems before it’s too late and you can’t afford to lose heat because it’s so cold outside. If there is a problem, you can catch it early on, before it requires the need for emergency furnace repairs.
Preventative Maintenance is Imperative!!!
Although this is last on the list, it is far from least! Any professional HVAC technician will tell you that consistent preventative maintenance is an incredibly wise investment that comes at such a nominal cost, a cost that pays for itself 10 times over. We strongly recommend, if you have not yet done so already, to call us to schedule your annual furnace tune up and seasonal maintenance visit as soon as you can to reap the many benefits of being proactive with your home heating system. And while it’s better to do this early in the season, keep in mind that it’s better late than never. Having a top notch HVAC expert come to your home and tune up your furnace and diagnose any minor concerns that could escalate into major problems during the winter goes a long way. If you have a newer furnace system, it will also keep you covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
We encourage you to look at it like you would look at getting the oil changed in your car. Ask yourself how much it would cost to replace this system.
Give our team here at Westerville Air Conditioning & Heating a call today at 614-810-0075, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here!
