When you put in the time and effort to take good care of your brand-new furnace, it will take good care of you and your household in return. Any brand-new appliance is an investment, and with a furnace, it’s going to pay off much more, both in the short term and the long term, if you don’t neglect it. A furnace that’s properly cared for will use less costly energy, break down less often, and do a much more consistent job of keeping your household warm. Here, we will discuss some of the things you can do to be a responsible furnace owner and get the best possible results from your new heating system.
Avoid Overworking Your Furnace
When your furnace has to exert energy 24/7, it’s inevitable that it’s going to take on a lot of wear and tear. Over time, this will lead to the appliance needing repairs more often, being less energy efficient, and having a shorter lifespan. To combat this, we recommend finding ways to stay warm without relying so much on your furnace. If you can even manage this for a handful of hours each day, those regular breaks will increase the lifespan of your furnace and allow you to get the best possible results from it. These are a few suggestions for how you can take care of your furnace.
One thing that can make a significant difference is strategically using your home’s curtains. The blinds that cover your household windows can actually play a major role in how much work your furnace has to do. For example, even during the winter, especially in a warm climate like San Diego, there are certain parts of the day where the sun is shining brightly outside. If you open up your curtains, that sunlight can be allowed to flow into your home and warm things up. Alternatively, in the evening, we recommend keeping all of your curtains closed. Many people don’t realize that when blinds are closed, they can actually help keep warm air trapped inside your home, due to the fact that windows are a common source for allowing heat to escape. With this extra warm air remaining inside your house, you can turn the thermostat down a few degrees and still remain warm.
Another way you can add some extra warmth to your home is by using a ceiling fan. You may not be aware that warm air naturally rises upward, and it tends to gather up near the ceiling of your home. However, by running a ceiling fan, you can push much of that warmth back down towards the lower portion of the room, where you and your family are likely to be located. Therefore, if you want to keep things easy, consider the option of simply wearing warmer clothes occasionally when you’re relaxing at home. It may not seem like it, but throwing on a sweatshirt instead of turning up the thermostat can go a long way toward keeping your heating system in the best possible shape. You will also save on your utility bill.
Keep Up With Regular Maintenance
If you want to keep your new furnace healthy and efficient, there is perhaps nothing more important than keeping up with its regular tune-ups. By having a trained expert come give your furnace a check-up, you can not only improve its energy efficiency but also get ahead of any potential issues before they become major problems. Your furnace has a lot of different components working inside of it, and all of them accumulate wear and tear over time. All it takes is one of these components to wear out or malfunction, and you can end up with a completely broken-down furnace on your hands.
To keep your appliance running efficiently and all of its parts functioning properly, it’s recommended that you schedule a professional inspection for your furnace on a yearly basis. We suggest you look at these scheduled tune-ups as an investment since keeping up with them consistently can save you a ton of money in the long run, both on heating bills and the repair costs that you avoid. In the greater San Diego, CA, area we at Tarpy Plumbing, Heating & Air have a team of dependable technicians that can handle these check-ups for you at an affordable price.
Add a Cleaning Day to Your Routine
As another measure to get the best possible results from your new furnace, and keep it running efficiently for as long as possible, we recommend taking the time to regularly clean a few select places in your home. The more dust, dirt, and loose debris that is scattered around your household, the more difficult it’s going to be for your furnace to do its job. With that in mind, you should look for areas that are prone to dust and dirt accumulation.
Perhaps the most important place to clean is your furnace’s air filter. This filter works hard to keep dirt and dust from clogging up the workings of your furnace. However, over time, the air filter itself can become very clogged up with these particles. When this happens, your furnace suddenly has to exert much more effort to pull air through the filter, which results in more wear and tear on the furnace and more energy being wasted. We recommend cleaning, or if necessary, replacing your furnace’s air filter at least once a month.
Once you’ve finished cleaning the air filter, move on to the air vents that are likely spread out through your home. Your furnace uses these vents to circulate warm air throughout your household, but they too can potentially become clogged up with dust and debris. To avoid putting that extra strain on your heating system, make a point to regularly clean each of these vents, by removing the protective panel with a screwdriver and vacuuming within the air ducts.
Lastly, it’s also a good idea to clean or remove anything that’s in the direct vicinity of the appliance. Most furnaces are located down in the basement, which many people tend to use as a storage space. Unfortunately, not only can clutter that’s next to the furnace be a dangerous fire hazard, but it can also make it more difficult for the heating unit to circulate air.
A new furnace is an excellent addition to your household, and can even be a smart financial investment, but it’s important that you put the time and effort into it to truly get the most out of it. At Tarpy Plumbing, Heating & Air, our team of experts is always available to assist you with this pursuit in any way that we can, whether it be providing regular maintenance, inspections, or answering any of your questions. We are a family-owned and -operated business and are proud to provide our reliable and affordable services to the entire Southern California area. In addition to our furnace work, we are also pleased to provide high-quality cooling and plumbing services as well.
It’s never a good idea to procrastinate your furnace’s needs, whether it be an emergency repair or even a regular check-up. Don’t put it off another day, give us a call at Tarpy Plumbing, Heating & Air now and schedule an appointment with one of our friendly professionals.
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