How to Get Your Furnace Ready for Fall
Did you know that living in cold places can actually make people smarter? That’s good news for folks residing in the Sioux Falls area, as it means they will possess the foresight they need to get their furnaces ready for fall.
Consider the leaves changing color your cue to prepare your furnace for its arduous task ahead: keeping your home toasty and cozy during the autumn and the blistering cold Midwestern winter that follows. Preparing your furnace for the fall will help you avoid needlessly high heating bills – not to mention the inconvenience of calling the HVAC specialist when it’s ten below outside!
Here’s how to do it!
Replace Your Furnace’s Filter
A dirty air filter has many harmful implications for a furnace. It forces your furnace to work harder than it should, which shortens the unit’s lifespan and reduces its efficiency. That means you’ll be paying for more furnace repairs, as well as higher heating bills. A clogged air filter can increase your heating costs by as much as 15%.
If you or someone in your family has asthma or allergies, they may experience greater inflammation as a dirty filter fails to remove dust, debris, and dander from the air. If its fan has to force air through a dirty filter, your furnace may fail to heat every part of your home. And if its filter becomes so dirty that your furnace fails altogether, you may have to buy new plumbing after your pipes freeze!
Clean & Clear Your Vents
Dirty air vents also make a furnace’s job more difficult. They constrict the passageways through which a furnace must draw and force air, and let debris choke up its filter at an accelerated rate. Cleaning your vents will in turn make your home’s air much cleaner as well.
But you will also want to keep your vents clear of larger obstructions. As autumn approaches, check to make sure furniture and draperies are not blocking your HVAC system’s vents. Your furnace will work much harder than it has to while blowing air through a sofa or bookcase.
Clean Your Furnace
Even the most effective filter cannot totally prevent dust and debris from accumulating on the sensitive components inside your furnace’s blower compartment. Whether you have the mechanical know-how to clean the inside of your furnace yourself, or would rather engage a professional for the delicate task, the rewards are great: higher efficiency, lower heating bills, and a furnace that will last significantly longer.
Install Storm Windows
Modern storm windows come coated with a practically invisible layer of metal which reflects infrared heat back into the home. Low-emissivity storm windows are easily installed over existing windows, and once they’re in place they may reduce annual heating (and cooling) costs by a whopping 12 to 33%.
Update Your Thermostat
Older thermostats simply can’t compete with high-tech modern ones. As with any mechanical device, they do lose functionality over the years. But even on the best of days, an obsolete thermostat cannot read the temperature as accurately as a smart thermostat.
Super-accurate smart thermostats save about 10 to 12% on annual heating costs. Smart thermostats will save you even more money in the long run by sparing your furnace from overworking itself!
Schedule a Fall Furnace Tune-Up
You wouldn’t enter your car in the Daytona 500 without first giving it a thorough tune-up. You shouldn’t ask your furnace to keep you comfortable throughout the fall and winter without giving it the same attention!
Autumn is the perfect time to welcome an HVAC expert into your home to tune-up your furnace. They’ll give it a thorough cleaning, check for any systems that are showing signs of imminent failure, and replace anything that might be broken. HVAC experts are also less busy during a season that doesn’t bring very hot or cold weather, so you’ll find they’re easier to schedule during the autumn.
Do you live in the greater Sioux Falls area? Then we would like to be your HVAC expert. Please contact PrairieSons today for all of your air conditioning, heating, and plumbing needs!