With winter on the way, it’s the right time to be proactive about your home heating. You don’t want to wait until the cold has finally set in to find out that you need an urgent furnace repair. Instead, you can take a few simple steps to prepare, and you can always CALL SPALL for a reliable furnace tune-up.
Make Sure Your Furnace Is Running Ahead of Time
The worst time to find out that your furnace isn’t working is a night when you actually need your furnace. Don’t put off starting up your furnace until nights drop below freezing. Start it up to see how it runs long before that.
While it’s still warm out and just starting to cool down, run your furnace a few times to ensure that it’s operating properly. You should do this three separate times, letting it cool down in between. That will prove it’s really working right and there are no start-up problems.
Make sure to do this even if you have no reason to suspect any issues with your furnace. Since last winter, the extended downtime your system had could have allowed corrosion and other issues time to set in. You can’t be sure until you give it a try yourself.
Configure Your Programmable Thermostat
First of all, if you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you should get one. There are many options out there, from simple scheduling features to full smart-home integration. They let you optimize your home heating for both comfort and energy savings.
As winter approaches, you want to be sure that you have your thermostat set properly. Ideally, this means leaving your home to cool down a bit when everyone is away during the day and at night while everyone is asleep.
That might sound counterintuitive because you’d like your home to be warm and cozy when you sleep. However, you really only notice the temperature as you’re falling asleep and waking up. Through the night, you won’t feel it when the temperature dips a few degrees, but it’ll sure make a difference on your electric bill!
For the best results, configure your thermostat to raise a few degrees about half an hour before you wake up and to drop a few degrees half an hour after you typically go to bed. Similarly, you can set your thermostat to lower the temperature during working hours if nobody is home.
A Professional Furnace Tune-Up
The best way to make sure that you’re getting everything you need is by scheduling a professional tune-up from an HVAC technician. This service will ensure that your thermostat is calibrated and that your furnace or other heating system is up to par.
T.E. Spall & Son provides the best tune-ups in the area. Our HVAC specialists will clean your furnace components, change your air filters, check gas and electrical systems, and ensure your furnace is running optimally. We also check for any potential damage that could require a new furnace installation or repairs. For the best in tune-ups and any other heating services, CALL SPALL today.
