You must get prepared for one prime thing this winter season, which is Furnace Servicing. This would play an important role that should never be ignored because we all know that ignorance can lead you into big trouble. This is the main reason that we are asking you to make sure to schedule Furnace Services before it gets too late. In case you are looking for the best furnace services, keep it a point to trust only the experienced professionals because contacting any local technician will not guarantee efficiency and smooth operation. So you must make sure that you get the best out of your furnace.
As the professionals of the HVAC, we would recommend that furnace must be scheduled for services at least once a year. In this way, one can highly prevent breakdowns and major repairs during its most usage days. Other than that, there are many benefits that you may enjoy if you get them for the regular maintenance of your furnace.
Benefits of Furnace Cleaning
Some of the Benefits of Furnace Cleaning are as follows
Better Efficiency
One of the greatest benefits of annual cleaning would be better efficiency for your entire furnace. When the furnace boiler and ducts are cleaned in a proper way your furnace would run at better rates and not need to run as long as it should to provide proper heat for your home. A furnace that has a better efficiency is more likely to save you from spending a lot of money in the long run. You do not have to pay for extra oil and can heat your home for a lot less each year. Of course, the efficiency of every furnace is different from one another. Even though, in some of the cases, the savings from the furnace could entirely offset the costs for cleaning. A special calculator would help figure out differences as well.
After your first cleaning session, you can always compare the money that is spent on oil for the year and compare the amounts to the previous years to see the difference. When the prices of the oil fluctuate, an even better comparison would be to see the number of gallons you burn through each year.
Duct Obstructions
One of the main benefits of furnace cleaning is Duct obstruction. While the main purpose is to have heating ducts that would provide clean elements, there may come those times with obstructions that may cause problems and these problems could impact the way heat flows through the entire building. You will have to reduce any major duct obstructions with a furnace cleaning. Any sort of dirt can be one of the more common elements that are filling up ducts, but your home may have rodents that is stuck in the ducts as well.
Properly cleaning out these ducts will definitely improve both the air quality and the performance of your furnace. If you have noticed that some rooms of the home are not heating up as well as others are, then a duct obstruction could be one of the main reasons.
Increased Equipment Life
Any HVAC expert that is doing maintenance on your furnace should always make some minor repairs and tweaks along the way if anything is slightly damaged or even if it looks as if it is about to be damaged in the near future. In this way, you will save on a lot of component replacement costs. Your current equipment will always run for many more winters to come, other than that only the few it may have if you had chosen not to have the regular maintenance to your furnace.
Quiet Operations
You may have already noticed that one of the loudest pieces of equipment in your home is normally the furnace. You may hear the rumble and loud sounds of the furnace when it gets to startup. Still, if you feel like your furnace has become a lot louder over the past few years, you do not just hear things. As the furnace functions, all of its screws become loose, panels dislodge, and vibrations increase with time. Without any proper maintenance, your furnace will vibrate more and become much louder than you would have ever expected. During the cleaning process, your HVAC technician will always try and help secure all furnace elements and replace screws where ever needed. Along with the furnace itself, the duct and pipe brackets are also secured in order to reduce noise.
This will not only help in the reduction of noise in order to help your ears, but you can also help prevent major problems that may occur when a furnace vibrates or even shakes too much.
Helps Keep Home Safe
As we know that furnaces usually burn fuel in order to produce heat. Because of this heat, it may also cause any sort of leaks and cracks that may be circling the fuel area. This can be very dangerous as it usually compromises the safety of every individual that is around that furnace. One must make it a point to inspect the gas burner, heat exchanger, and gas valve in order to keep your home and your loved ones safe and sound always. Just by taking proper and professional care of your furnace system, one can get to enjoy a lot of extra advantages. It will also keep your home safe, warm, and comfortable. But it does not mean that you can get your furnace system to get serviced by just any technicians.
You must make sure to hire only professional care. By hiring professional help, you enjoy proper service and get professional advice besides getting quality services. Because there are times when the local technicians miss out on the minor repairs, which will give place to heavy repairs and replacements. This is not the case with professional help as they will inspect the furnace system thoroughly and make sure no spot is missed. They exactly know what and how the system must work, thereby guarantying proper and expert furnace care.
Apart from professional care and services, the best part is they will charge a reasonable price for services, which will not be the same case with the local technicians. Your furnace work will get done in no time, thereby saving you from all the inconvenience.
Therefore, make sure to hire only professionals for furnace services and maintenance if you want to improve and extend the system’s life. With professionals’ help, you will be free from stress as the professionals would handle the major work.
Common FAQ’s about Furnace Cleaning
How often do clean furnaces and ducts?
It is commonly asked that how often should you clean furnace ducts. It is usually advised that you must schedule furnace maintenance after every 1 to 2 years, the ideal situation would be to clean it at least once a year. Duct cleaning at intervals of 3 to 5 years for a smooth-running system and perfect and proper indoor air quality. That is the minimum servicing. You might also need to handle all these important chores more often if you can. In case you own an older furnace, have a large family or some pet dander in your home, suffer from breathing problems, or notice any signs your furnace isn’t performing properly you must get the servicing done when needed.
How to prepare for furnace duct cleaning?
1. Remove Clutter
Even before your duct cleaning, always make sure that the contractors can easily reach all the air vents in your house or building. If there is any kind of couch in front of your vent, for example, you must slide it out of the way for easy access. With some obstacles, the professionals will be able to complete the task faster and better.
2. Check Your Furnace & A/C Unit
In case you have stored any items near your furnace, hot water tank, or A/C unit you may have to move them some feet away. In this way, it will become easier for your technician to clean components of your whole HVAC system, such as grilles, registers, and fans.
3. Secure Your Pets
In case you have any pets, you will need to secure them before the contractors arrive by putting up gates or leaving them in any other separate room.
4. Do a Walk-Through with the Contractors
When the contractors arrive at your house, give them a quick tour of your building. You will have to show them where all the air vents are located and direct them to the other elements of your HVAC system. If you plan on leaving your home while the contractors clean your air ducts, remember to give them a phone number to reach you.
How to clean furnaces and ducts?
Below are the basic steps by which you can clean your furnace and ducts.
1. Check the vents
Open a vent cover to check inside for dirt, dust, or any other matter you don’t want in there.
2. Check the return registers
Check the return air registers for dust buildup. Pay attention especially if there is a thick layer coated on the registers.
3. Remove the filter
Remove and examine the air filter. If your air filter is dirty and covered in dust, it’s time to change it.
4. Check the furnace
Open up your furnace compartment and check the blower fan, motor, and furnace controls for dust.
5. Check the air conditioning coil
Examine the air conditioning coil. If you find dust on it or the housing walls, then your air filter isn’t working.
6. Turn off power
Turn off the power to your heating and air conditioning units. Note: Shutting off the thermostat does not power down the unit; you need to turn off power at the breaker panel or power switch on the furnace.
7. Remove the air duct covers and clean
Remove the air duct covers and use a brush to clean the grates. Make sure to be thorough. Use a vacuum to clean out the ducts. A model with a hose will give you the most maneuverability.
8. Clean ceiling vents
Last, clean the vents on your ceiling. You can use a vacuum or broom to clean off the dust.
Should I clean my furnace every year?
As a general rule, the average furnace must be thoroughly cleaned at least once in a whole year. This will not only provide your furnace with the efficiency and longevity of your HVAC system, but it will also keep your ducts from getting grimy and distributing dust and dirt throughout your home.
Is furnace cleaning worth it?
You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems logical that air ducts will get dirty over time and should be sometimes cleaned. Provided that if the cleaning is done properly, no proof would suggest that such cleaning would be harmful. EPA does not recommend that the air ducts be cleaned routinely, but only as needed. EPA does, however, recommend that if you have a fuel-burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.
