Winter is closing in on the horizon and it’s almost time to crank up your thermostat. While you know to turn it down when you leave the house, unfortunately, you might be overworking your furnace in many ways throughout the winter in your attempts to escape the cold.
Here are just some of the ways you might be putting a strain on your furnace.
1. You don’t perform the proper maintenance
Your HVAC system is a temperamental machine. Without the proper care and maintenance, you might worsen your indoor air quality or cause a failure in your furnace. This can be detrimental when the cold finally sets in and your home doesn’t have heat.
In fact, nearly 75% of furnace failures in the winter are because of lack of maintenance. Call the proper heating repair company today to prep your furnace and make the necessary furnace repair before the winter comes.
2. You don’t fix your drafts
If you live in an old house, you’re no stranger to the occasional draft. Fortunately, it’s nothing a few blankets can’t fix.
If you have this mindset, you’re making your furnace work too hard. A draft house means your furnace is working even harder every time a breath of cold air blows in. Even newer houses sometimes lack the proper insulation and sealing to prevent drafts from getting in. Locate the source of the drafts and seal them before you overwork your furnace.
3. You blast your thermostat
Turning up your thermostat is a knee-jerk reaction when you’re feeling chilly. Unfortunately, your furnace won’t heat you up any faster — setting it to 75 won’t make it reach 70 degrees any more quickly than turning it to 70. Doing this will also increase your heating and cooling bills. It’s a lose-lose.
4. Your furniture blocks the vents
As much as you think your sofa would look great against the window, if it’s blocking a vent, look elsewhere. Large pieces of furniture are notorious for blocking necessary vents for the sake of aesthetics. Even though it looks great in that location, move your sofa against a different wall for the season.
5. You close vents
Closing vents in unoccupied rooms can seem like it will save you money. After all, you won’t be paying for the heat in that room, right?
Wrong. Your furnace works to heat your home in its entirety, regardless of whether or not certain vents are closed. Closing certain vents can promote overheating or shorter heating cycles which causes your resident HVAC to turn off and on more often. This can lead to more frequent occurrences of furnace repair.
Follow these tips to stop overworking your furnace today. But when you need the best furnace repair company, call or visit us for more information on HVAC services before winter arrives.