Regular furnace tune-ups can improve your home’s safety and comfort during the heating season. As winter approaches the Denver area, consider the benefits of being proactive with your heating system rather than reactive. A proactive approach ensures your home has heat when it’s most needed. You also save money on emergency repairs.
At High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we don’t want you to get left out in the cold. That’s why we can’t stress enough how important a pre-winter furnace check is. Hiring professionals to conduct a thorough furnace inspection is the best thing you can do to keep your furnace running well all winter long. Check out the eight reasons below to schedule your furnace check today!
1. Prevent Costly Breakdowns
According to Angi.com, the average emergency furnace repair costs fall between $300 and $1200. You don’t want to spend money on repairs unnecessarily. Fortunately, you can avoid most heating emergencies. Pre-winter furnace maintenance detects small issues before they escalate into expensive repairs. Seasonal maintenance helps you avoid common heating problems, such as restricted airflow, by replacing dirty filters, cleaning clogged burners, addressing ignition or pilot light problems, and even cleaning dirty ductwork. You should schedule a pre-winter maintenance service in the fall before you begin using your furnace full-time. This gives you plenty of time to schedule repairs before the heating season begins.
2. Ensure Optimal Energy Efficiency
According to ENERGY STAR, the average American homeowner spends approximately $900 a year heating their home. Many factors play into heating costs, including how often the system runs, its size, and its age, but how well it’s maintained plays a role, too. Professional maintenance can lower your heating costs this winter because a clean, well-maintained furnace always operates more efficiently. When furnaces receive professional cleanings and tune-ups, they distribute heat throughout your home more evenly. Because the house gets heated better, the furnace uses less energy, which leads to lower energy costs for you. Pre-winter maintenance is one of the best ways to lower heating costs this winter.
3. Prolong the Lifespan of Your Furnace
Furnaces can last anywhere from 10 to 20 years. So, why do some homeowners get longer lifespans from their furnaces than others? While there’s not a one-size-fits-all explanation, most HVAC professionals attribute longer furnace lifespans to regular maintenance. Heating systems receive much wear and tear throughout the heating season, especially in cold-weather climates like Denver, where it’s not unusual to experience weeks of below-freezing temperatures. Regular maintenance addresses common wear and tear issues, such as damaged blowers, malfunctioning burners, and other mechanical issues, that when left alone, can easily reduce the furnace’s heating abilities and lifespan.
4. Improve Air Quality in Your Home
Here’s a startling statistic you might not have heard: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air in homes is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Additionally, the EPA suggests we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Even living in an outdoorsy city like Denver, people still spend time indoors.
Therefore, protecting your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ) must remain a top priority. Regular pre-season heating tune-ups reduce dust, allergens, and other pollutants that aggravate allergies and asthma symptoms and cause other respiratory issues. Many households that manage their IAQ also notice less dust build-up on furniture and walls, and people in the household feel better and have fewer issues with seasonal allergies and colds.
5. Ensure Safety: Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, and toxic gas that can sicken household members and even cause death. A furnace tune-up can mitigate the risks and lessen the chances of household exposure to the deadly gas, keeping your family safer. System weaknesses and failing components, such as a cracked heat exchanger or a flickering yellow pilot light, can leak carbon monoxide into your home’s air. Other signs of a carbon monoxide leak include:
- Rusty or cracked vent pipe
- Brown or yellow stains near the furnace
- Condensation on the windows near the furnace
- The CO monitor sounding an alarm
6. Maintain Warranties
Furnace warranties give you peace of mind and protect your investment. However, warranties have specific requirements you must meet to maintain their validity. Skipping maintenance is one way to void your warranty and lose its protection. Major companies, such as Lennox, often state in their manufacturer warranty agreements that the equipment must have annual maintenance done by a qualified professional to keep warranty protection in place. If you fail to do this, and your furnace has a defect normally covered by the warranty, you might have to shell out the money out-of-pocket to pay for the repair because your warranty claim was denied.
7. Avoid the Winter Repair Rush
The best time to repair your furnace is before the winter rush arrives. During the height of the heating season, demand for heating services rises. You might experience long wait times and delays getting repairs, resulting in a few hours or days of feeling uncomfortable in your home. While some emergency issues you can’t avoid, most you can with a pre-season maintenance check. During this service, if the technician notices even the slightest problem, they’ll recommend repairs and give you the chance to fix it immediately. Not only will you avoid a breakdown on the coldest day, but you’ll pay less for the repair because you won’t have emergency fees included in the price.
8. Achieve Peace of Mind All Winter Long
Tune-ups improve overall heating performance, create consistent heating in your home, and lessen the chances of catastrophic furnace failure. Whether you have a new furnace or one reaching the end of its lifespan, making a pre-season tune-up a priority is a must-do. You’ll have peace of mind that your heating system will work its best when the coldest temperatures arrive.
Contact Your Local HVAC Pros in Denver
If you’ve struggled with heating problems the last few winters, make a change this season. Get ahead of the game and tackle heating problems head-on before the winter rush. At High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, our top-rated HVAC specialists help homeowners improve their comfort during the colder months. We tune furnaces for safety and efficiency and even help our customers with furnace installation, heat pump repair, electrical repairs, and gas plumbing.
When the time comes to upgrade your furnace, our team is ready to help you find the right system for your home and budget. With decades of combined experience, our team is your one-stop solution for all your home’s plumbing, electrical, and HVAC needs. Our past customers enjoy our transparency, efficiency, fast service, and long-lasting results. At High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, our professional and knowledgeable team members take pride in the work we do and consistently go above and beyond for our customers. No job is too big or too small, too simple or complex. You deserve safe, quality heating in your home this winter. Schedule your pre-winter furnace tune-up and call High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling today!
