Three Springtime Furnace Mistakes To Avoid

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Spring is here so you will likely be shutting down the furnace for the season. Before you move on to using your cooling system, though, take some time to review the following to ensure you aren't making any major furnace mistakes.

#1: Leaving the old filter in the furnace

Take the time to change out your air filter one last time after you shut down the furnace in spring. It's also a good idea to take a vacuum or shop vac and clean out the filter slot. Although it won't usually damage your furnace to leave the old filter in place, it can make for more work to wait until fall. For example, any humidity in the home could cause the dust in the filter to stick to the filter slot, resulting in the need for more thorough cleaning. Winter is typically low humidity, so it should be a snap to simply vacuum up any loose debris once springtime rolls around.

#2: Putting off your tuneup

You can wait until fall for your annual furnace maintenance check and tuneup, but you'll likely end up on a long waiting list since this is when most other people also schedule repair and maintenance visits. Instead, be proactive and schedule your annual maintenance visit for the spring or summer. Another option is to combine AC and heating installation or furnace/AC maintenance into one visit, saving you time and possibly money. Another benefit of spring or summer furnace maintenance is that you will have plenty of forewarning if a problem is found, which means you can make sure it is fixed before you need to use the furnace again.

#3: Ignoring end-of-season trouble

Was your furnace making an odd noise, producing odors, or just not functioning quite right as winter came to a close? If so, then you need to have it repaired sooner rather than later. Ignore the temptation to put off needed furnace repairs until fall. If you forget, you may find yourself freezing the first cold night when your furnace won't come on. At the bare minimum, you will have to get a repair appointment during the busiest time of the year for most HVAC techs, which means your furnace may not be repaired right away. Prompt repair, as opposed to trying to limp the furnace to the end of the heating season, can also help prevent minor damage from becoming a major problem.

For more help, contact an HVAC repair contractor in your area.

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10 April 2017

Cool off Your AC Bill

Every summer, I agonized over energy bills that would shoot into the stratosphere as a result of my efforts to keep cool in the heat. Every time I turned the temperature down, my bills increased. This summer, I decided to take some of the control over my energy bill back. I installed reflective film on my windows that reduced the amount of light and heat coming into the house. I started serving more cold meals or asking my husband to barbecue outside, so that my air conditioner didn't have to compete with the hot stove, and I started doing laundry at night to reduce appliance heat in the house at peak times. I also had ceiling fans installed. So far, the difference in my bill has been tremendous. This blog is a way for me to explore other ways to reduce energy drain during the summer months.