Your furnace is one of the most important components of your home. Without a functional furnace, your home can quickly become dangerously cold during winter. Not only are cold temperatures a risk to you, your family, and your pets, but they can also cause the pipes to freeze and burst—leading to thousands of dollars of damage to your property and belongings. Therefore, regular furnace repair and maintenance is essential to protect your home and your family. The question is, how can you get the most out of your furnace repair in Santa Rosa?
Here are a few strategies you can use to stay on top of things with your furnace and avoid a dreaded wintertime failure:
- Invest in annual furnace servicing
The best way to get more out of your furnace repair and maintenance services is to schedule them regularly. Don’t assume that your furnace is in good health because you had a technician check the unit a year and a half ago. You should be arranging annual furnace inspections and servicing—preferably in the late summer or early fall, so you know your system is ready for the cold months. These annual check-ups will give you peace of mind at a minimum and might even spot warning signs before they escalate into something bigger.
- Ask your technician to check your ducts and thermostats
Your furnace itself is only a part of your home’s heating system. Just because the furnace is in good health doesn’t necessarily mean that your home is heating effectively or economically. With this thought in mind, it’s important to make sure that your annual furnace check-up is more than just a furnace check-up. Make sure you are working with a technician that can also take a look at the duct systems and thermostats. If the ducts are dirty, clogged, cracked, or damaged, then hot air won’t be able to distribute throughout the house effectively. If the thermostats are broken or failing, meanwhile, then they could stop signalling for heat in certain parts of your house—leading to significant problems when it gets cold. A technician who can check thermostats (and replace them, if necessary) and clean out the ductwork is going to give you more for your money than someone who only focuses on the furnace itself.
- Request an overall furnace health assessment
When you hire a technician for a furnace repair in Santa Rosa, your number one goal is to get the “all clear” for another season. By giving your furnace a tune-up and fixing any emerging issues with your heating system, your technician can make sure you are ready for another winter. A secondary goal, though, should be to get a more general or long-term health assessment for your furnace system. Ask your technician to give an opinion on the overall health of your furnace and an estimate of how many years it might have left on the clock. On average, a furnace should give you a good 15-20 years of service – especially if you are keeping up with care and maintenance. Keeping track of the overall health of the system, though, will help you start planning should a replacement be imminent.
- Ask for ways that you can lower your home’s heating needs
Furnace repair technicians know a lot about home heating (and cooling) and can give you tips on how to boost the energy efficiency of your home. As you establish a relationship with your technician, ask for advice on how you can lower your home’s heating needs. From adding insulation around the ducts to replacing drafty windows, there are probably many things you could try. Getting a few pointers from your technician will add value to your furnace repair service and will help you save money in the long run.
- Monitor your furnace closely throughout the year
You can also get more out of your furnace repair service by making sure you are paying attention to your furnace throughout the year. How often does the furnace come on to heat the house? Do all parts of the house feel consistently and evenly heated? Are there areas that are colder or draftier than others? Have you noticed gradual increases in your heating bills? Keeping track of any changes in furnace performance or impact is essential because it allows you to give your technician the information, they need to do their job. Your technician will appreciate having a baseline of knowledge and will have a better understanding of what is going on with your system. In addition to monitoring your furnace, you should also do basic maintenance things throughout the year, such as switching out the furnace filter every three months or so.
Schedule a Furnace Repair in Santa Rosa Today
If you haven’t had a furnace check-up lately, now is the right time to schedule a furnace repair in Santa Rosa. Working with the right technician will provide peace of mind while also improving the health of your home heating system.
Valley Comfort conducts heating and furnace repair services in the following communities: Santa Rosa, Napa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg, St Helena, Calistoga and Windsor.