When we think about maintenance on any system or piece of equipment in the home, it’s sometimes easy to focus on a “quick cleanup” or tightening a few screws here or there and the moving along. However, when it comes to an important system that your home relies on so heavily, like your furnace, there are some extremely important implications of regular (or irregular for that matter) maintenance.
At BelRed, we understand the importance of regular furnace maintenance for a number of reasons. First—the safety of our customers is of utmost importance. An improperly maintained gas furnace, for example, can lead to many safety issues. Second, the performance of the furnace itself relies upon regular maintenance so it performs at its highest level possible. Third, a well maintained furnace makes it so much easier, and cheaper, to provide your home with the highest level of comfort possible.
If a gas furnace is ignored and not regularly maintained or checked by a professional, it could be at a number of risks that could hinder its performance, make you and your loved ones less comfortable, or worse, pose a big safety threat. Some consequences of ignoring gas furnace maintenance include:
- Clogged Filter: A clogged filter can cause a lot of problems for a gas furnace, reducing its efficiency and lifespan. When a filter becomes clogged, airflow through the filter is reduced. This causes the furnace blower to have to work harder, meaning it will use more electricity and be more likely to fail. System short cycling due to overheating also causes premature part failure of heat exchangers, igniters, high temperature limit switches and others. We recommend changing your furnace filter every three months, or at absolute minimum twice a year. If you have a lot of pet dander, dust, or other contaminants in the air in your home, you may consider changing the filter more often.
- Dirty Blower Wheel: A dirty blower wheel can cause several problems. It reduces airflow generated by the wheel, meaning the blower motor has to work harder and can fail as a result. Reduced airflow can also decrease the comfort of the home, and cause the furnace’s heat exchangers to overheat and fail. Also, because the blower motor has to work harder, it will use more electricity, reducing the efficiency of your heating system. A dirty blower can also be unbalanced, putting further strain on the blower motor, further increasing the likelihood of failure.
- Dangerous CO Gas Released into Your Home: As part of a regular maintenance, a gas furnace technician will check your furnace for CO gas levels. Carbon monoxide gas (CO), also called the “silent killer,” is tasteless and odorless and can be harmful or fatal at high levels. Heat exchangers in gas furnaces can develop cracks over time, through which CO gas is released. By having regular maintenance performed on your gas furnace, you will ensure that your home and its inhabitants are safe from these harmful exhaust gases.
- Negligence Could Void the Manufacturer’s Warranty: Most gas furnace manufacturers’ warranties require regular maintenance. If your gas furnace fails due to prolonged negligence, it could void your warranty, piling onto an already unfortunate situation.
In reality, here at BelRed we don’t make a profit when we perform a gas furnace maintenance. Why do them? We care deeply about the safety and comfort of our customers, that’s why. We hope to develop long term relationships with our clients by providing a low cost, high value maintenance service. The reality is that every furnace, like any piece of mechanical equipment, will eventually fail. The key is to do everything we can to make sure the equipment functions optimally for as long as possible and keep things as safe as possible through that process.
Avoiding these issues will help you be on your way to a clean, efficient and effective gas furnace for years to come. BelRed offers comprehensive precision tuning for gas furnaces. Contact us today to find out more information.
