California’s mild climate means the heating season is short compared to other areas of the country. But when it does get cold, you want to be able to depend on your heating system.
Although we’re always available for heating repair in Concord, CA, the ideal option is to not need to call us for repairs in the first place. To avoid unexpected and problematic heater repairs during the time when you need your heater most, follow these tips.
Know the Signs of Potential Issues
You can depend on your heater to let you know when it’s struggling to do its job! Call us if you notice any of these signs that indicate your heater needs to be checked out.
- Strange noises such as banging, hissing, shrieking, booming, or screeching
- Unusual smells coming from the heater such as the smell of rotten eggs, sulfur, or formaldehyde
- Uneven heating of the rooms in your house
- Lukewarm heat coming from the vents and a failure in your home’s ability to reach the desired temperature
- Increased utility bills with no correlation in usage
- Short cycling where the furnace turns off and on in a short period of time without completing a heating cycle
Change the Filter on a Regular Basis
This is an easy maintenance task that homeowners can do themselves. During the heating season, you should be cleaning or replacing your heater’s filter every 1-3 months. How often will depend on a number of factors such as how many people are in your household, if there are any smokers, how many pets you have, and more.
Changing the air filter is incredibly important because it helps your heater run more efficiently. The air filter’s job is to keep the dust, dirt, and dander floating in the air of your home from entering the heater’s internal parts.
When the filter isn’t changed, it’ll become clogged which makes it harder for air to flow through the heater. It’s been proven that heaters that have their filters changed regularly last longer because it reduces wear and tear on the system and helps it achieve peak performance.
Don’t Overwhelm the System by Cranking the Heat Up
When you want to heat your home, you don’t want to wait long. You’re cold and you don’t want to be. Some homeowners mistakenly think that turning the heat past the desired temperature or “cranking it up” will heat the home faster. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case.
Cranking the heat up won’t heat the home faster. All it’ll do is make the system work harder and longer. If your system is already having issues or struggling with performance, over-taxing the system is less than ideal. You don’t want to push your heater past its breaking point and have it break down entirely!
Schedule Furnace Maintenance
If you didn’t schedule heater maintenance in the fall, doing it now mid-way through the heating season is better than not doing it at all. Your heater will benefit from maintenance any time of year.
Hometown Heating and Air Conditioning is your trusted resource for heating services. Reach out to us today! Your comfort is our business.