Even though our south Louisiana winters are considered “mild” by national standards, when winter weather starts, most of us begin spending the majority of our time inside. We also focus the majority of our attention on making sure that inside is as warm as possible.
A/C contractors know this, which is why, as the temperature drops, our mailboxes fill with offers for heater tune ups!
While it’s easy to consider these deals “junk mail”, don’t be so quick to dismiss them. Tune ups for your heater are extremely important. Here are a few reasons why:
Safety First
While we may take it for granted, the process involved in keeping our homes warm is nothing less than a precise balance between efficiency and safety. Even the slightest problem can compromise both. One of the worst possibilities is a gas leak. As most of you probably already know, a gas leak is a serious problem that can easily lead to combustion or carbon monoxide poisoning. Neither of these fatal issues is worth risking.
Maintaining Good Airflow
You rely on your heater to release and spread warm air throughout the home. However, it can’t properly do this without access to air to begin with. For this reason, your tune up technician will inspect your unit to ensure that proper airflow is occurring.
Unfortunately, if airflow is blocked, you might not notice until it’s too late.
Even without proper access to air, your unit will continue warming your home. It will simply do so under much greater duress, which will result in a heater that needs even greater repairs or no longer works, altogether.
An Ounce of Maintenance…
No matter how great your heater is, all units need regular maintenance. Again, the process involved in heating your home involves so many moving parts, some potentially volatile, that you’ll either need regular maintenance or repairs at some point. The former is far more affordable and convenient, of course. You’ll end up spending a lot more if you wait for repairs to become necessary. That will most likely be a pretty cold wait, as well.
Maintaining Peak Energy Efficiency
Your furnace’s tune-up will involve cleaning and inspecting the unit’s burner, as well as its heat exchanger. Besides simply seeing to the unit’s safety, you’ll be able to count on higher energy efficiency as well. This will mean a smaller overall carbon footprint, as your home makes more use of the energy it consumes. At the same time, this will also save you on your overall energy bill. Both electricity and gas will be used less, as it won’t take as much to achieve the same result.
Protecting Your Manufacturer’s Warranty
While it might help your peace of mind to have a manufacturer’s warranty covering your heating equipment, be sure you check to make sure you’re not responsible for regular maintenance. Most manufacturers know the risks involved with a heater that isn’t properly maintained. As such, their warranties will often carry a stipulation regarding regular tune ups. If you fall short of meeting this requirement, the warranty can potentially become void. So not only will lack of regular maintenance carry a higher probability of your unit breaking, but you’ll also be more likely to be responsible for the costs of fixing it.
Don’t let all of these issues bother you when you can address them with an easy and affordable tune up from Berner AC & Heat!
