Even though a functional heating system is a necessity during the winter, people still tend to take them for granted. They skip their all-important annual winter heater inspection, ignore all but the most obvious problems with their San Jose HVAC systems, and otherwise slack off when it comes to home furnace maintenance. You might not think there would be problems with ignoring a mostly-functional furnace in a Bay Area home, but all heating and air conditioning systems require regular maintenance if they are to keep working properly. Here are just four dangers of foregoing regular heater maintenance for your San Jose, Oakland or other Bay Area home.
Common Problems from Lack of San Jose HVAC Maintenance
1. Short-Cycling
Your heating system is designed to cycle on and off throughout the day to maintain a consistent temperature. If you have a dirty air filter or you’ve neglected your regular heater maintenance, your furnace will cycle on and off more frequently. Not only can this be a serious burden on your utility bills, but it can cause uneven temperature changes throughout your home. It’s also one of the dangers of keeping old heaters, so you might want to consider buying a replacement furnace if this uneven performance is happening to your old heating system, even with clean air filters.
2. System Inefficiency
A dirty and/or old heating system will need to work harder to keep your home at a consistent temperature. Naturally, this can affect your utility bills as much as a short- cycling furnace, along with putting more strain on your furnace, which will shorten its life. You might not notice that this is a problem if you have a relatively new system in your East Bay home, but it’s one of the main reasons why we recommend replacing old home heaters that are literally pushing to their breaking point.
3. Poor Air Quality
Dust, debris, and biological growth are all dangers from keeping old heaters in your home, but they can be kept manageable through regular home furnace maintenance and air duct services in the Bay Area. Letting maintenance go for too long will lower the air quality in your home. If anyone in your home has allergies or is otherwise prone to respiratory infections, you need to schedule annual winter heater inspections.
4. Costly Repairs
A heating system that doesn’t receive regular home furnace maintenance will break down sooner. Depending on what needs to be repaired, you could be in for a bill that can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. A little heater maintenance can go a long way towards preventing this kind of catastrophe, and could extend its life a decade or so.
Time for a New HVAC System, Duct Replacement or New Thermostat in San Jose?
These are just some of the dangers of keeping old heaters without maintaining them, though they are by far the biggest. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a heater or air conditioner professional inspect the furnace in your Bay Area home, contact Element Home Solutions as soon as possible. You might not think your furnace needs any attention, but a single winter heater inspection will be much easier to afford than a replacement for a broken furnace!
