The dog days of summer are well behind us now as the Okanagan Valley undergoes the transformation into its beautiful fall form. In order to stay warm this autumn, you will need to resurrect your furnace from its summer slumber and make sure it’s ready to work steadily throughout the cold months that lay ahead.
As a residential and commercial inspection company, one of the areas that we always have a look at is the furnace and overall HVAC system of a property. If we can offer our clients some advice this fall, it would be to have your furnace serviced, ensuring that the filter has been changed in the process.
There are many reasons to have your furnace serviced each season, but the most important reason is to ensure that your home is a safe environment for your family. A furnace malfunction can transform into a fire hazard within seconds and turn your heating solution into a life-altering disaster. A malfunction can also result in a carbon monoxide leak which can be just as deadly as a full-fledged house fire.
Aside from safety issues, having your furnace serviced is a form of preventative maintenance. A certified technician will be able to adjust your furnace and ensure it is running in an optimal state which will extend the lifespan of the system and put it in the highest state of efficiency. If you have purchased furnace in the past, you know the price tag is significant and can appreciate extending the longevity even more. If you were lucky enough to purchase a home with a capable furnace, look up the price of a new system online and you will quickly be interested in the health of your heating solutions.
If your unqualified cousin has promised to help out with all your home improvement needs and wants to give your furnace a tune-up, let him rake your leaves instead and leave the HVAC to the professionals. An unqualified individual may make a costly mistake that results in thousands of dollars in damages or a devastating fire.
It is also important to keep your warranty status in mind. In most cases, the company that supplies the warranty will require that you invest in regular servicing by a certified technician. Saving a few dollars to skip a service appointment can translate into big losses down the road should your furnace decide to give out on you.
Inside your furnace is a filter which works hard to protect the fan from dust and other debris, while also keeping the air in your home clean. Energy Star recommends that you clean this filter every three months during heavy use, which will keep your energy bills down, your air cleaner and your furnace living longer. A filter change is usually an easy task to accomplish- during your next service appointment, get your technician to show you the ins and outs of the change over process.
While you have cleaning and HVAC systems on your mind, it would be a great idea to have your ducts cleaned. This should be done every two to five years, more frequently if anyone in your home struggles with allergies.
If your furnace is the lungs of a building, then the ducts are the vital airways. If they are obstructed, it will be difficult for air to properly circulate around your building, which would once again result in higher energy bills. If the pathways that carry the air in your home are full of dust and other irritants, allergy sufferers will get little to no reprieve.
Keeping your HVAC systems maintained by certified technicians is important for both residential and commercial properties. If you are looking to invest in a new home or office building, you will want to ensure that the heating and cooling systems are up to par, preventing any costly surprises after you take ownership
C4U Inspections offers full assessments of both residential and commercial structures. When you are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can’t afford to not have your potential property inspected by a professional.
Helping you protect your investment is something C4U Inspections is passionate about. Proudly serving the Okanagan for over a decade, we are happy to assess your residential, commercial or strata development with quality home inspection services. Contact us for your home inspection today. Call (250) 212-4025
Serving the Okanagan Since 2005
