You depend on your furnace to provide warm, consistent air throughout the harsh winter. When it’s working correctly, it’s easy to forget about your furnace and all the hard work it does. Unfortunately, forgetting about it completely can lead to damage to your furnace that might necessitate repair or replacement. In order to prevent this extra expense, regular maintenance of your furnace is crucial.
What Happens If You Don’t Clean?
Not cleaning your furnace can have several serious consequences, some of which could potentially jeopardize your family’s safety. One major consequence of not regularly cleaning your furnace is that it won’t run as efficiently as it could if it were totally clean. Dust collects over time on moving parts and on the burners, leading to inefficient movement and production of heat.
Another issue with not regularly cleaning your furnace is that you’ll be less likely to discover problems before they have a chance to cause major damage. Though catastrophic failures of furnaces are rare, they can happen, so opening up your furnace to thoroughly clean it ensures you catch any problems early, so they’re less expensive and safer to fix.
What Happens If You Do Clean?
Regular cleaning of your furnace will ensure your energy bills stay as low as possible. Though with regular cleaning you’re unlikely to notice a difference on your bill, if you’ve had a dirty furnace and then cleaned it thoroughly, you’ll notice a big change. Plus, you’ll help extend the life of your furnace as all the working parts are put under less stress and strain. Lastly, you’ll enjoy a cleaner home, since the furnace won’t be spewing dust that has collected inside it. You might even find you can dust your furniture less than when you had a dirty furnace.
How Often to Clean Your Furnace
For all the benefits that result from keeping your furnace clean, you may be wondering how often the cleaning needs to be done. One part of cleaning your furnace involves changing the filter which collects dust as it comes through the return vent. This filter should be changed about once a month, possibly more often if your house is especially dusty. This easy maintenance task can be completed by you for a low cost.
Cleaning the rest of your furnace should be left to a professional HVAC company like C B Lucas Heating & Air Conditioning. They know the ins and outs of your furnace so they can get it as clean as possible without damaging any sensitive components. This cleaning should typically be done once a year for your furnace as the weather turns colder and once a year for your A/C as the weather turns warmer.
On Schedule
One of the easiest ways to remember your furnace’s regular cleaning needs is to get on a schedule. Set a reminder on your phone to alert you when it’s time to change the furnace filter. For furnace cleaning, many HVAC companies will set up maintenance contracts to save you some money and give you friendly reminders when it’s time to have your furnace cleaned. This will ensure you’ll never forget to take care of these important maintenance items.
