While furnaces have been around for a long time, furnace service professionals report that many homeowners do a number of things that reduce their efficiency or even drive them to an early grave. Here are some of the most common ways in which you might be hurting your furnace:
You are using a furnace that is of the wrong size
One of the most common mistakes made by first-time homeowners is buying a furnace that is too large or too small for their home. As you might have guessed, this leads to improper house heating.
When the furnace is too large for your home, you tend to have a humongous monthly bill as the furnace spends a lot of energy. On the other hand, if the furnace is too small, you don’t heat up the house as well as its supposed to.
The best way of going about it is to take your time when buying the furnace. If you aren’t sure of the appliance that is right for your home, you should ask a professional to help you out.
In addition to considering the size of the appliance, also consider the energy star rating of the appliance. As rule of thumb ensure that the appliance has a high rating. While a unit with a high rating will be expensive to buy at the start, you will eventually save a lot of money over the long run as the unit will be consuming just little energy.
You don’t change the air filter
Every furnace has an air filter that you need to change for your unit to continue functioning optimally. The role of the air filter is to control the quality of air getting into the furnace and even into the house.
When you go for a long time without cleaning the air filter, the filter clogs up restricting the air from reaching the furnace’s heat exchanger. This causes the furnace to overheat and even shut down.
In addition to this, the furnace tends to consume a lot of energy which digs a hole in your pocket.
For you to keep the furnace in top shape you need to regularly inspect it for any dirt that it might be having. If it’s dirty, clean it immediately. In some cases, you might find the air filter too dirty or damaged for cleaning. In such a case, you should simply replace it.
You are ignoring strange noises
It’s easy to get accustomed to strange noises coming from your furnace, but this doesn’t mean that you should ignore them. Is your furnace making rolling, rocking, or rattling noises? It’s a sign that your furnace is having issues.
Many people have the impression that their furnaces are alright if they don’t grind to a halt, but this is wrong. If you notice any noises or any other abnormal thing with your furnace, you should address the issues immediately.
You should note that while the furnace might not stop working when it’s having minor issues, it might be consuming a lot of energy that spikes your monthly bill. The unit might also be a safety risk to you and your family members.
You obstruct the vents
If you visit many homes, you will find the vents hidden with furniture, curtains and other materials. This is usually because air vents aren’t the best things to look at. You should note that it’s dangerous to obstruct the vents. This is because they tend to make the furnace work harder than it should.
When the furnace is working too hard, it leads to failure which means that you have to replace it after a short while.
For you to keep your heating costs low and ensure that your furnace lasts for a long time, you should keep the vents open. While they are unsightly, you will be better off with ugly features in your house than a malfunctioning unit.
You don’t tune up the appliance
The final mistakes you might be making is failing to tune up the appliance. As you might have guessed, this leads to an inefficient furnace. For your unit to function optimally, you need to hire a furnace repair service Falls Church professional at least once a year to inspect the unit and fix any issues it might be having.
