Why Fall Furnace Maintenance is the Most Important Home Safety Check-up You Should Do!
The change in weather is our early reminder that we will soon be transitioning into heating season. That means, time to check and inspect the furnace—not just for smooth operation of your heating system, but more importantly for the safety and protection of your family. We say this because more carbon monoxide incidents are the result of a faulty furnace than anything else.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is colourless, odourless and tasteless. If inhaled in sufficient quantities, CO can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb oxygen. At low concentrations, symptoms of CO poisoning present similar to flu symptoms: headaches, nausea, fatigue and dizziness. In higher concentrations or prolonged exposure, symptoms can worsen and cause loss of consciousness and death.
For the safety and protection of your family, we beg you schedule this today. Here’s what you need to do to prepare your furnace for cold weather:
Again, and most importantly, get your fall preventive maintenance inspection done – Fall furnace maintenance is important to the continued high efficiency operation of your heating system. It can also help keep those utility bills in check. But mostly, fall furnace maintenance checks for harmful leaks and other problems before they become major issues.
Replace the furnace filter - Furnace filters should be replaced at least every other month, if not every month during the cold weather months. The filters capture dust and dirt and other harmful airborne particles during the intake of air. If they're not changed regularly, they can pass through bad air, clog and pass little air, and/or cause premature failure to your heating system.
Check the carbon monoxide and smoke detectors - It is safest to change batteries and test the CO and smoke detectors every new season. It is especially important to do this when you know you'll be turning on the furnace. If you don't have detectors, ask our technician at the time of maintenance to install some. For the safety of your family, you should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level and wing of your house.
Test your thermostat – Thermostats don’t last forever. In fact, after 5-10 years (depending on the quality of the thermostat), they start to affect the efficient operation of your furnace. Fall maintenance includes a check of your thermostat, to ensure it is working properly. You may want to consider a learning thermostat, like Ecobee, to ensure you are getting the most efficiency from your system. Ecobee is one of only two thermostats endorsed by Energy Star. Wi-Fi operation helps to control it, even when “away from home!” Call Total Air for more information on the benefits of the Ecobee thermostats.
Safety first! It is always highly recommended that you call the professionals at Total Air to turn on that furnace for the first time in fall. Call today to schedule your fall furnace preventive maintenance and enjoy the transition into cold weather in El Paso. Schedule maintenance with Total Air by calling 915-585-0909 or contact us at www.totalairep.com .
