Air Quality
Winter is inevitable every year and the only way to get through it is by having your home’s gas furnace in proper condition before winter comes knocking on the door.
Nothing beats a chilly day more than turning on your heater that is working properly. You will feel yourself defrost almost immediately! This is just one reason why regular gas furnace maintenance should be a priority for many homeowners. For those who do not prioritize their furnace maintenance, they can run into issues or problems getting their furnace to run properly. Any issues or problems with a furnace can be quite pricey which would result in needing financing for HVAC replacement.
Talking about problems, around 75% of HVAC system issues arise from poor furnace maintenance. Homeowners fail to find out the answer to, ‘how often should a furnace be serviced?’ due to the fact that furnaces are seldom used. This is the main reason many furnaces tend to arise issues with usage. But, before you learn about how often you need to service your gas furnace, you will need to understand why it is so important to ensure it gets done. There are many risks involved when you do not get your gas furnace regularly serviced.
Risks of Not Servicing a Gas Furnace Regularly
Most of the problems that homes suffer are usually a result of a gas furnace that is in poor condition. With that being said, you can avoid this by getting regularly scheduled furnace maintenance. There are some risks involved with not having your furnace regularly schedule and those are:
Risk of Cracking the Heat Exchanger
You ought to know that this is the most dangerous risk posed by the negligence of the gas heat furnace for too long. If the heat exchanger is cracked, poisonous gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, soot and even nitrogen oxides can be released into the air in your home and when in the right amount, these gases can cause irreversible harm to your family. This problem can be caused by a host of factors including a clogged filter and more. That is why regular maintenance of the gas furnace is paramount.
Temporarily or Permanently Ruined Pilot Light
A faulty pilot light may be due to the gas valve not being properly opened because the light button isn’t properly pressed, or a clog caused by dirt in the pilot opening. A professional gas furnace technician should know how to inspect and clean all areas surrounding the pilot light as well as clear the valve-ways for better functioning.
Dusty or Dirty Filters
Just like debris can spoil the water heater filter, over time, dust and dirt will gather in your furnace air filters and the machine will have to be coerced into putting extra work to warm your home during the chilly periods. This extra work can cause the machine to break down or lose its efficiency as the case may be. Your HVAC professional should be able to offer free filter change for your gas furnace every 2-3 months as failure to do such can cause a bunch of problems.
Benefits to Regular Gas Furnace Maintenance:
Take Sacramento winter for instance. The amount of heat used would only result in huge power bills and this might upset your financial plans. However, with proper and regular maintenance, your gas furnace would work at peak efficiency and bring about a considerable reduction of your energy bills.
Forestalls Huge Expenses of System Repairs
Once you realize and pay attention to how often a furnace should be serviced, you can forestall any future expenses that might result in your HVAC system breakdown, especially in the future. Small issues like clogged filters when not properly fixed can lead to greater problems with time which will definitely incur more expenses. The only way to avoid this situation is to be proactive especially in the fall when such small fixes on a gas furnace aren’t expensive.
Extension Of Your HVAC And Gas Furnace Lifespan
If your gas furnace, as well as the HVAC system, is free of minor issues like cracks, clogged filters and others, it can help the machine to run efficiently for long. It can also save you money that you would have spent in a replacement of a part or total overhaul of the system.
So, How Often Should A Furnace Be Serviced?
The problem with some folks is that they think because the HVAC system is still running smoothly, all is well. They are just ignorant of how often a furnace should be serviced and before they realize it, there must have been problems that add up to cost too much for comfort.
So, if you’re asked how often should a furnace be serviced, what would be your response? Most professional would recommend it once a year. However, if it is possible, your gas furnace should be serviced both in the fall and spring.
How is a Gas Furnace Serviced?
It is important that you contact a licensed professional who knows how to service a furnace to handle yours. He/she would advise you on how often to service a furnace so you do not end up paying stupendous amounts to get your home gas furnace working properly again.
Besides reaching out to an expert, if you want to carry out DIY maintenance on your gas furnace, you need to make sure you understand the workings of a furnace. It can be quite dangerous to handle maintenance on your own.
If you are a HVAC professional, then having the right tools and apps for your HVAC Company will also allow you to work more efficiently.
