Spring may officially be here, but we’ll still experience cooler temps for a while. Therefore, it’s no secret you want to have a functional furnace that operates efficiently.
We have some news—if your ductwork is damaged, there’s no way this is possible! If you have breached ductwork, you could be losing as much as 30% of the conditioned air you are paying for. This also means your furnace must work harder to reach the temperature set on the thermostat. The furnace won’t operate efficiently and will cost more to run.
But how do you know if your ducts are damaged? After all, they’re all hidden out of sight—behind walls, beneath floors, or in your attic or crawlspace.
It may almost be the official start of spring, but temperatures are still cool for now, and probably will be throughout the start of May. Hopefully, your heating system served you well and you’ve had minimal problems with it—this will typically be the case if you had your system professionally tuned-up before the start of the season.
As winter comes to a close, it’s easy to neglect your heating system and turn your attention to your air conditioner. In fact, we hope you’re thinking about your cooling system, since now is the perfect time to schedule AC maintenance. However, if you have an aging heater or if you skipped maintenance, we encourage you to follow a few care tips, like those we’ve listed below, before shutting off your heater for the season.
Your HVAC system is one of the most important components to your home, especially considering how chilly it can get in the winter, and equally how hot it can get in the summer. Given our relatively minor winters, though, homeowners in our area tend to opt for a system that can both heat and cool, such as a heat pump, or a ductless system.
We may not experience the frigid temperatures that our friends in the Midwest do, particularly lately, but our winters still necessitate the use of a fully functioning, efficiently operating, heating system. So if your heating system is experiencing problems right now, we understand the concern! Fortunately, though, if you can detect problems with your furnace early enough, you can have them repaired before they develop into a complete system breakdown.
If you are still using an old manual thermostat—you know, the one with a little slider that’s hard (actually, next to impossible) to get on the exact right temperature you need it to be—then the answer to this is a resounding yes.
This is typically the time of year that homeowners throughout San Ramon are using their heaters on a daily basis, not necessarily shopping for a new system. But if your heater has reached the end of its run, your situation is different, and you’re likely in a rush to find a new heater, now! We urge you to consider your options, and not buy the first system you can find in your budget, as this can be a mistake not only in the installation, but over the years if the system’s efficiency doesn’t meet the needs of your home.
Well, our very first tip here isn’t for something that’s free—but investing in it will make your heater much more affordable in the long run. We’re talking about heating maintenance. Maintenance is a service that every homeowner benefits from. It should be done once a year—preferably before you need your heater for the season. But it matters more that you are consistent with scheduling a maintenance tune-up once a year.
A heating system may break down with little to no warning at all. It will go from seemingly operating “just fine” throughout the day and night to suddenly halting, or just not turning on at all. This is uncommon, particularly if you had fall maintenance. Even with that tune-up though, unless there’s a sudden electrical failure, a furnace or heating system usually gives off some sign it’s about to fail.
It’s that time of year—the time where temperatures begin to cool off and we feel relief from the sweltering summers we experience. Time to turn on our heating systems and bask in the warmth, right? Well not quite—have you scheduled maintenance yet? Preventive heating maintenance isn’t just a fancy idea we throw out there for our best customers—it’s a necessary part of keeping every homeowner’s heater working as efficiently and effectively as possible!