Basic furnace maintenance has a variety of benefits, including reducing your heating costs and preventing breakdowns. While you should leave some stuff to HVAC companies in St. Louis, MO, there are a few things that every homeowner can do to maintain their heating system. Continue reading to learn a few of the most important maintenance items:
Change the filter: The easiest part of furnace maintenance is also one of the most important! It’s crucial that you change or clean your furnace filter every month. Your filter blocks contaminants from entering the unit and prevents allergens and other junk from circulating in the air. Neglecting to swap out your filter makes your unit work harder to heat your home, thus raising your monthly energy bills. Take a few seconds to change your filter and save yourself big bucks throughout the winter.
Clean the unit: A clean and tidy furnace will run efficiently and is less likely to break down in the middle of the cold season. Though you should call a professional to do a deep clean, you can dust off the sides of the unit and clean the fan with a wet cloth. You’ll also want to make sure the area around your furnace is nice and tidy! Giving your furnace plenty of room to breathe drastically reduces the chance of a fire.
Check the pilot light: If you have a gas furnace, take a quick look at the pilot light. The flame should burn a steady blue color with a yellow tip. If the flame is yellow or orange, or if it’s flickering, call a professional right away. HVAC companies in St. Louis, MO can come out and check your pilot light to see what’s the matter.
Check for rust: As your furnace ages, its sides or top may start to rust. This isn’t good! Any rust or corrosion may be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak, and this issue needs to be addressed immediately. A professional might be able to repair a leaky unit, but it may need to be replaced with a newer model. Only an HVAC technician will know for sure.
Install carbon monoxide monitors: This one doesn’t pertain to your furnace, per se, but putting carbon monoxide detectors in your home is still a crucial part of winter preparedness. As mentioned above, malfunctioning gas furnaces may emit carbon monoxide. Since its a colorless and odorless gas—and a deadly one—the only way to detect carbon monoxide is by placing monitors throughout your home.
Call for a tune-up: All of the steps above will undoubtedly benefit your furnace, but to ensure your furnace works to the best of its ability for years to come, call a professional to inspect it and give it a tune-up. A routine maintenance call may take less than an hour to complete, but keeping up with them over time can add years to your unit’s lifespan.
Don’t choose just anyone to tune up your furnace this fall. Be sure to hire our team at Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling to tackle the job. We’re available around the clock and offer some of the most competitive rates in the area, which is what makes us one of the top HVAC companies in St. Louis, MO. Contact us today to learn more about any of our services.
The outdoor temperatures are dropping, which means you’ll want to crank up the heat in your home to stay nice and toasty throughout the winter. Before you touch that dial, though, be sure you’ve called for HVAC service in St. Louis, MO! This post will cover a few of the top reasons why it’s so important to schedule furnace maintenance each fall:
Safety: From carbon monoxide leaks to starting a fire, heaters can be dangerous units. You can ensure your furnace is as safe as possible by having it inspected by a professional. An HVAC technician will pore over every detail of your heater to ensure there are no cracked components that could create a carbon monoxide leak or any blocked vents that could lead to a fire.
Lower bills: The dirtier your unit is, the harder it has to work to put out heat for your home. And the harder your furnace has to work, the more energy it uses up, leading to higher bills each month. Though you can clean some components of your unit by yourself, you should hire a professional for a full cleaning and unit tune-up each fall. This service isn’t free, but it’ll save you a boatload of money throughout the winter.
Maintain energy efficiency: A clean and well-maintained unit uses 25 percent less electricity than one that isn’t. Not only is this saving you money, but it’s also helping out the environment.
Avoid breakdowns: Nothing’s worse than waking up and finding that your furnace stopped working in the middle of the night. Not only will you be without heat until a technician comes out, but you’ll also have to pay an arm and a leg to have your unit fixed. The best way to prevent this scenario is to call for HVAC service in St. Louis, MO today. One of our HVAC pros will tune up your unit to ensure it doesn’t kick the bucket in the dead of winter.
Prolong unit lifespan: You want your furnace to last for as long as possible, so be sure to call for routine maintenance each fall. Professional maintenance has proven to increase the average lifespan of heaters by 30 to 50 percent. A well-maintained furnace lasts for up to 20 years, while one that’s left untouched may only last for about 10.
Retain warranty: Each furnace comes with a warranty, but be sure to read the fine print! Many manufacturers put language in there stipulating that the unit must be professionally maintained—otherwise, the warranty is voided. Though it might not sound fair, it does make sense. Furnace manufacturers know the value of an annual maintenance check, and they don’t want to pay to replace a unit that was neglected by its owner.
Don’t wait one more day to call for HVAC service in St. Louis, MO! Reach out to Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling today to schedule furnace maintenance or have a new furnace installed. We provide a whole host of heating services to meet all of your needs this winter.
To keep your home nice and comfortable this fall and winter as temperatures begin to dip, it’s important to ensure that your HVAC system is working as effectively as possible. The most important thing for you to do to maintain the performance of your system is to invest in HVAC inspections and necessary HVAC service in St. Louis, MO. Read on to find out more about HVAC service and why fall is a great time for system inspections and maintenance.
Here are several reasons why fall is a good time to have your HVAC system inspected and serviced:
Get system ready for heating: After months without being used, it’s a good idea to have your heating system inspected and maintained to ensure that it’s performing optimally. During an inspection, your HVAC technician can identify any issues that require repair or maintenance before you can start using your heating system again.
Audit your summer energy use: In the fall, you have the opportunity to audit your energy use during the summer so that you can address any issues that might be contributing to energy waste. This information can help you make adjustments to your system settings so that you can operate your cooling system more efficiently next summer.
Clean and repair ductwork: The more you use your system, the more likely it is that your ductwork will accumulate some debris. In the fall, you can clear away all of the dust and debris that has built up in your ductwork in order to maintain proper airflow for effective heating. During a service appointment, your technician can also replace your filters to promote better airflow and boost system efficiency.
AC winterization: If you have an outdoor AC unit, you will need to take some winterizing steps to protect your system from the elements during the fall and winter. Your HVAC technician can provide this service during an inspection and maintenance appointment during the fall. By combining these services into a single appointment, you can save a lot of time and hassle.
Getting an inspection
If you’re ready to schedule a fall HVAC inspection and maintenance appointment, you should find a local HVAC contractor who you can rely on to provide you with the best service possible. Look for a service provider with a positive reputation in the community and with plenty of experience providing the kinds of services that you need for your home.
Reliable HVAC service in St. Louis, MO
For professional help with HVAC inspections and HVAC service in St. Louis, MO, reach out to Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling. For the past two decades, we have been proud to provide comprehensive HVAC services to our customers throughout the area. Whether you need a basic inspection and a system tune-up or you want to have a new system installed in your home, our experienced team is here to help you. Give us a call today to find out more about the services we offer and to schedule a maintenance appointment.
Your HVAC system keeps your home comfortable throughout the year, regardless of what the weather forecast might bring your way. While these systems are designed to operate effectively for years, you do have to invest some time and energy into regular HVAC service in St. Louis, MO if you want your system to maintain its performance and longevity.
Why fall HVAC service is so important
To keep an HVAC system performing as efficiently and effectively as possible, it’s important to have it maintained at least once a year. Fall is the perfect time to handle HVAC maintenance, since it optimizes the performance of your system before the heating season arrives.
Here are several different aspects of HVAC maintenance that should be on the top of your fall service checklist:
Air filter replacement: Your air filter is essential to the efficiency of your HVAC system, so it’s important to replace or clean it when you do other maintenance on your system. If you don’t change your air filter regularly, debris, dust and other particles will accumulate and restrict proper airflow through your ductwork. Changing this filter regularly allows you to maintain the efficiency of your system throughout the year.
Ductwork cleaning: Your ductwork is responsible for carrying air from your HVAC system throughout your home, and keeping your ducts in the best possible condition is essential if you want your system to perform efficiently. You should have your ducts cleaned and inspected to identify any cracks or weak connections in the ductwork. Any damage to your ducts should be repaired as soon as possible to minimize energy waste and improve overall HVAC performance.
Minimize clutter and debris: To promote proper airflow and minimize the risk of damage or issues with your system, you need to clear the area around your HVAC units and minimize debris and clutter. If you have an outdoor HVAC unit, like an AC unit, you should clear away any debris within a couple feet of the system. Remove any leaves and cut down grass that could inhibit airflow. Inside, remove clutter from around your heating and cooling systems, as well as your vents and ductwork.
Professional tune-up: There are a lot of things you can do on your own to keep your HVAC system operating effectively, but the best way for you to ensure that your system is performing optimally is to invest in professional HVAC service in St. Louis, MO. A professional technician will be able to inspect your system and recommend the maintenance services you need to keep it working great for years to come. They can also identify problems that require repair so you can proactively address issues before they get worse.
Schedule HVAC service in St Louis, MO
For professional help with HVAC service in St. Louis, MO, reach out to Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling. Our local business has been providing homeowners with comprehensive HVAC services for decades. We are committed to the quality of our services and the satisfaction of our customers. To find out more about what we have to offer, just give us a call today!
If you have allergies, they may be at their worst throughout the spring, summer and fall. It may seem that even when you’re indoors, you still have trouble. That may be because your AC system isn’t purifying your air as well as it could be. By investing in air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO, you could improve your indoor air quality and feel better all year round. Read on to learn more about how your AC system can help with your indoor air quality.
Better, more efficient systems
If your indoor air quality is especially bad and you suffer from indoor allergies as well as outdoor allergies all year round, you may consider investing in a high SEER system, which is a more efficient system that will boost your indoor air quality. These systems can run at low power for longer periods of time, which keeps the air moving in your home for longer. It’s better for your air quality to have constantly moving air, and more energy-efficient for the system. Plus, the circulating air constantly passes through the air filter, which purifies it. Look for systems with a SEER of 16 or higher, which will have multiple modes that can change the amount of cooling and airflow delivered.
Boost the air quality with your current system
You may not need to call for air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO to boost your air quality. There are things you can do to your system today to increase the indoor air quality in your home. Make sure you are changing your air filters every season, or every month if you experience a lot of allergens inside the home. Dirty filters not only clog up the system, leading to higher energy bills, but they can’t efficiently filter out the pollen, dust and spores that lead to indoor allergy symptoms. Also, make sure you’re not relying solely on room air conditioners and ductless systems that don’t have proper air filtration. These systems are not built for the entire home and don’t adequately filter air.
You also want to try to keep humidity at a minimum, as humid air carries more contaminants than drier air. Humidity also causes it to feel hotter than it is, which leads to using the AC system more and raising your energy bills. Additionally, high humidity can lead to too much moisture in the system, which can lead to mold and mildew growth. If you live in a very humid climate, you may consider investing in a dehumidifier for your system.
If you suspect your air conditioner is not running efficiently and want to experience better indoor air quality, call Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling for air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO. We provide a full range of heating and cooling services to meet any need your home’s HVAC system may have. We have 20 years in business and a depth of knowledge regarding all things HVAC. Give us a call today to schedule an estimate!
