How To Prepare Your House For Winter
Winter comes with a promise of ice, chilly temperatures and snow. Therefore, you need to act early to prepare your home for it. You need to think about starting a furnace well ahead of winter because if anything goes wrong during winter, fixing it will be a headache. Careful preparation will ensure that your heating system runs properly during the winter. Here are some tips to help you keep the house warm in the winter.
First of all, you need to hire professionals who can conduct a thorough heating system inspection. This will ensure that your system is both safe and efficient. The earlier you schedule an appointment with a certified heating expert the better, as they will be booked solid as winter approaches. You definitely do not want to risk a furnace breakdown when it is freezing cold. The expert will carry out several maintenance tasks that will keep your heater functioning optimally. These tasks include; thermostat inspection, filter cleaning and replacement, motor oiling and an electrical controls check.
A thorough inspection and tuneup of your heating system will not only keep your heater working correctly but also save you a lot of money. You also have a part to play in ensuring that your heater performs optimally. Before turning on your heater, you should clear out the space next to it so that it can perform at its peak. You also need to clean the furnace filters on a regular basis. Cleaning filters will improve the air flow and the efficiency of your furnace thus lowering your utility bills. Disposable fiberglass filters need to be replaced whereas electronic/electrostatic ones need to be cleaned.
If you are having problems with your heater, you should look for the most obvious solutions. You can start by ensuring that all access panels are secured properly and all the screws are in place. Also ensure that the thermostat is set to heating mode. Merely, setting it above room temperature does not turn your heat on if the controls are set to air conditioning mode. After you turn on your heating system, you should look out for strange smells and noises that could indicate a problem. Dust usually accumulates on the heat exchanger during the summer, so a little dust is normal. The smell will dissipate after a few minutes, just open your windows.
Once you ascertain that your heater is in pristine working condition, you should check whether it is distributing heat properly in your house. Turn on the heat and go from one room to another. If some places feel colder than others, you should regulate the registers and dampers to the same level in all rooms. Doing regular maintenance can reduce furnace repairs consequently lowering your expenses. If you find problems that you cannot fix, you need to call in the professionals. An expert has the necessary knowhow to conduct a thorough heating system inspection.
If you want to save on energy, you need to get a programmable thermostat. Once you install it, you should program it to turn your furnace on and off. It saves energy because people often forget to turn off the furnace.
