During the colder months of the year, your family depends heavily on your heating system for warmth and comfort. But if your heater isn’t working as efficiently as it could, you may have skyrocketing energy bills, premature wear and tear on vital system components, expensive breakdowns, or an unevenly warmed home.

Therefore, it’s crucial for you to schedule routine maintenance appointments on a yearly basis. During a tune-up, a professional heating technician will inspect all parts of your system to be sure things are working as they should and don’t need to be repaired or replaced. Additionally, he or she will thoroughly clean the inside of your unit to prevent a build-up of dirt and dust. A clean system runs more efficiently.

Safety of your heating system

Along with ensuring that your system is running well, a heating professional will also check to be sure that your unit is safe. With natural gas systems, an improperly maintained unit could lead to a dangerous gas leak, or the fumes released from the combustion process could lead to a fire or explosion. With electrical systems, damaged wiring could also lead to a fire inside your family’s home.

A technician will inspect your unit to be sure it is safe so that your mind can be at ease whenever you hear the system cycle on and off. If a repair or replacement is needed for one or more components, he or she will advise you as to what’s required to get your unit running safely once again.

Important: If you smell natural gas in your home, leave immediately. Do not operate anything that could cause a spark, including lights, cell phones, flashlights, and appliances. From a safe location, call 911 and your local gas utility, which will dispatch a crew to check on the source of the odor and make the area safe.

Airflow and your home’s heater

If you don’t have proper airflow to and from your heating system, it’s going to work harder than necessary to keep your home warm. To prevent poor airflow, schedule annual maintenance so that a tech can clean the system and free it of dust buildup. As a homeowner, you should also be sure you’re routinely changing your system’s air filter.

The air filter is responsible for trapping pollutants, such as dirt, dust, and pet hair, and preventing these materials from passing through your heater and ducts into the air your family breathes. If you don’t change the filter on a regular basis, it gets clogged and restricts airflow. That makes your system work harder to get anything through. This can lead to premature wear and tear, as well as expensive energy bills.

Fewer breakdowns

When you maintain your system properly, you can help prevent a variety of problems that could ultimately result in a breakdown. Scheduling a tune-up before the heart of the heating season enables a professional to inspect the ins and outs of your unit and determine if there is potential for a problem. If there is, he or she will advise you as to what will be required to get your unit in working order so that your family isn’t dealing with a cold and uncomfortable home this winter.

Need help with heating maintenance?

At Oncourse Home Solutions, we offer an affordable Heating Maintenance Plan, which includes an annual 20-point inspection performed by a local, experienced, pre-qualified professional.