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.
These are all actions that help not only boost the efficiency of your heater, but prevent repairs in the meantime. Read on to learn more!
Caring for Your Thermostat
Were you aware that your thermostat could be miscalibrated? This means it may not be reading the temperature in the room correctly, and therefore either failing to turn your furnace on when it’s needed or even causing it to run too long when it’s in operation. It only takes a few degrees of miscalibration for this to happen, too—and it will significantly throw off the comfort of your home.
As a result, you may try adjusting the thermostat to come on sooner than it should have to. This may lead your furnace to run too long and work too hard—hurting it’s efficiency and even wearing down on the system too quickly.
If you think you haven’t been getting the results from your furnace that you should be, it may very well be due to a miscalibrated thermostat. It might even be due to an improperly installed thermostat. For instance, if a thermostat is installed somewhere in your home where it gets direct sunlight, it will register the room as warmer than it is, failing to signal the furnace to come on and leading you to adjust the thermostat when you shouldn’t have to.
The best thing to do when you suspect you have a thermostat problem is to contact our pros! You may need a quick fix, or an upgrade may serve you well.
Scheduling Regular Maintenance
Have you scheduled your heating maintenance yet? We recommend this service once a year for furnaces, and twice a year for heat pump systems. You’ll typically hear us say that heating maintenance should be done in the fall, before you need your heater the most. This is going to be the most convenient time for you to have it done—but what’s more important than that is that you’re consistent about maintenance.
As long as you’re having maintenance done once a year, you can count on protecting your heating efficiency and preventing heater repairs. It’s during this service, after all, that our technicians have the chance to thoroughly clean the system’s interior components and check for problem areas, so that you can get them taken care of—again, improving efficiency and preventing repair needs!
Knowing the Signs of Heating Repair Needs
Maintenance is vital for your heating system, but even with this service, you should know the signs that your heater needs repair. Getting repair needs managed sooner rather than later will make a huge difference in operational efficiency and preventing those repair needs from growing larger and resulting in an emergency breakdown. Some signs include:
- Strange, unfamiliar noises—banging, groaning, hissing—coming from your heating system.
- Low airflow or low heating power.
- Short-cycling—when your heater turns on and off rapidly.
- Non-starting or running longer than it should.
- Higher than average heating bills.
Call the friendly staff at Boehmer Heating & Cooling for professional North Hills heater repair and exceptional customer service!