Let’s put it this way—a cracked heat exchanger is not a minor repair need by any means. If you’re using a gas furnace to heat your home this winter, then you need to be aware of the things that can go wrong.
Before we continue, it’s worth mentioning that a gas furnace is not inherently dangerous. But when it’s ignored, ill-maintained, or even aged passed the point of its useful service life (10-15 years, depending on the manufacturer) it can become hazardous.
The same can be said for any gas-powered appliance, as they all have the potential to develop safety issues. While these systems do have a special feature to turn the system off if something malfunctions inside the system, a heat exchanger crack can be subtle and insidious. Read on to learn more!
When is the best time of year to schedule a furnace tune-up? Well, many HVAC professionals, including our team, will tell you that it’s fall—so, right now! But something that’s much more important than the time of year you have this service done is how consistently you have it done. We do recommend fall because this is right before you will need your heater the most. If you commit to this service once a year though, you’ll be sure to keep your heater in good shape.
With temperatures cooling down, it’s just about time to shut off our AC’s for the season and turn our attention to our heating systems. With the full-time use they’re about to start getting, now is the best time to address any repair needs your heating system might have. The best way to determine if you need repairs is to schedule a maintenance tune-up.
For the most part, the weather in our area is relatively predictable throughout the year. As we transition into spring, however, it really could go either way. We may start seeing much warmer temperatures in just a couple of weeks, or we could have some more cold weather ahead. If the former occurs, you’ll likely be tempted to turn off your furnace for the season and not give it another though. However, if you have repair needs, delaying them could leave you with a headache and a costly repair bill.
What if someone asked you, “what’s the last thing you need right now?”
Upgrades are always fun, right? Well, not when it means you’re spending money that you didn’t expect to, which very well could be the case if your furnace fails on you suddenly.
The way you treat your heating system matters! No, we don’t mean you should be giving it constant praise and attention each day, but you should be following best practices in how you use your thermostat, how diligent you are about scheduling routine maintenance, and how soon you call a professional when you detect signs of a heater in disrepair.
Heating is an important part of home comfort around our area! Sure, we may get plenty of use from our air conditioners but our heaters get the brunt of the work throughout the year. That said, you need yours to perform flawlessly, right?
Are you one of the over 64 million homeowners in the U.S. who use natural gas for winter heat? It is that popular—but that also means that there are more people that may be dealing with safety issues. We don’t mean to say that gas furnaces post an inherent risk to homeowners—they don’t. They wouldn’t be installed in so many homes if so. In fact, current standards for gas-heating manufacturers put a special emphasis on maintaining safe operation.