If you own a gas furnace, you are not alone. Nearly 60% of Americans do. Proper maintenance of your gas furnace is critical to extending the life of the unit. By adhering to a proper maintenance schedule, your unit can last from 12 to 15 years and may prevent the need for you to call a gas furnace repair company to perform expensive work on your unit.
Tips to Keeping the Gas Furnace Repair Man Away:
- Change your filters. This is a key component of your gas furnace. The filters keep dirt out of the unit, which can be key to preventing the need for emergency furnace repair. The filters need to be replaced at least every 90 days. If you check more often and find them clogged, change them immediately.
- Is the thermostat working? If you are setting it to a comfortable temperature but you are still cold, you may have a problem with the thermostat. If it has stopped working you can call a gas furnace repair company to replace it. You will save yourself a lot in fuel costs by replacing it if it has stopped functioning.
- Check the blower. When you change the filter, make sure you check the blower as well. This needs to be cleaned every time you change the filters because any dirt that makes it through the filters, ends up here and this can build up and clog your unit.
- Check the vents. They can also become clogged. Checking them should be on your ?to do? list for what you do when you change the filters. Clogged vents can cause dangerous conditions and you do not want that. If there is dirt in the vents, clean them with a large brush.
- Check the ducts. These are particularly prone to damage. This is especially true for units that use a forced air system. Use a vacuum to clean these and then cover them to prevent any more dust or dirt from getting in. If they are damaged, have them serviced by a qualified gas furnace repair service.
- Check the fans. This is really important as you can experience some serious problems with your unit. It is worth your while to have a professional gas furnace repair service inspect your fans at least once a year. If there is a problem with this system, it could cause problems bad enough that you would need to call in an emergency furnace repair service, which is very expensive.
- Safety first! It probably goes without saying that you should make sure your gas furnace is turned off before you do any of these things but it is important enough to repeat. Any gas appliances have inherent dangers that should not, under any circumstances, be ignored. Make sure all power sources to the unit are turned off before conducting any work or checks on the system. It is just too dangerous to do anything else.
The HVAC industry is huge in the United States (it is worth about $71 billion) so you have plenty of heating and cooling companies to select from. You should have no problem finding one in your city. Find one you trust and your unit will last a long time.