According to most HVAC experts, it’s best practice to have your furnace or heat pump professionally serviced at least once a year. However, many property owners tend to take their furnaces for granted. For instance, when they set the thermostat to heat, they expect it to kick on, and they expect their homes to be adequately heated to a comfortable temperature. And because the furnace is one of the household components that tend to be taken for granted, many property owners may neglect regular maintenance of it.
In this post, we’re going to tell you why that’s not a good idea. Here’s a look at what you run the risk of happening if you don’t have your furnace or heat pump serviced regularly:
Didn’t Get a Tune-Up? Here’s What Might Happen
Your Furnace Runs a Greater Risk of Failing
A furnace is like any major appliance – if you want to maximize the return on your investment, you have to put in the effort to properly maintain it. Think of it like a car. Just as oil changes and tire rotations are a part of a vehicle’s routine maintenance, so too is a furnace tune-up. Neglect oil changes for long enough on a car, and you could experience expensive engine damage. Neglect maintenance on a furnace or heat pump and your system could run a greater risk of breaking down or prematurely failing altogether. Remember, lots of people take their heat for granted – so a busted furnace and not being able to access heat when you need it most is more than just an inconvenience.
Little Problems That Could Have Been Easily Repaired May Become Big and Expensive
Back to the car example for a moment. Usually, when the mechanic is performing an oil change or tire rotation, they’ll give your vehicle a good once over and take note of any other potential issues that you might need to address in the future. These issues are likely either very small and can be easily fixed or serve as a friendly warning that they’ll likely need to be serviced before they get too bad. An HVAC technician will likely do the same thing when assessing the furnace. They can take note of any other issues and either repair them or warn the property owner that they’ll need to be repaired soon. A good tune-up can help resolve issues while they’re still small and before they become big and expensive.
Indoor Air Quality May Suffer
As humans, we take about 20,000 breaths a day and spend about 90 percent of our time indoors. Noting this, it behooves us to have quality indoor air to breathe. If you have a furnace, then you already know that it’s a fuel-burning appliance that needs to vent combustion safely outdoors. But some issues with the system can cause carbon monoxide to leak throughout the home, potentially creating a dangerous – and perhaps even a deadly – environment. A tune-up can help ensure that your indoor air quality is good.
Your Utility Bills Will Likely Increase
Finally, a furnace that isn’t tuned up regularly is likely one that doesn’t run efficiently or effectively – and your energy bills are likely to suffer because of it. A less efficient heating system means the unit is going to have to run longer to adequately heat the home. And a longer running heating system is also going to use more energy to do its job. With energy prices rising throughout the country in general, it simply makes sense to take steps to ensure your system is running as efficiently as possible.
Contact Air Comfort of KY, Inc. Today
For more information on the importance of annual tune-ups for your heat pump and/or furnace, contact us today. As a trusted full-service HVAC contractor, we’ll make sure your system is running as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Contact us today for more information.
