As temperatures start to drop below freezing every night a furnace maintenance check is in order.
Furnaces should be checked once every year or two as the snow threatens to cover the ground.
David Erb, Vice president of residential sales for Enercare says a quick hour spent checking your furnace can pay off big time.
“Without a working furnace pipes and machinery are bound to encounter problems.“Erb says the furnace should be able to easily hold the temperature of a house near the 18 to 23-degree mark.“Typically when outside starts to drop to zero and a dwelling does not have heat, there is a problem.“
Erb says homeowners need to check their furnace at least once every two years to catch if something is not working.
“There is an obligation as a homeowner to make sure the basics are okay“
One thing homeowners can do to make sure their furnace is running as efficiently as possible is to check the ventilation and remove anything obstructing the airflow. Another thing Erb suggests is to take a step and visually check the air conditioning unit.
Erb says one big thing that gets missed a lot is the routine check of the filter.
Homeowners should spend around 45 minutes to 90 doing their own check before calling the licensed technician to check everything else.
`The technician should check everything else and run the diagnostics.“
Finally Erb suggests replacing your furnace when its been working for more then 15 years, the furnace edmits weird noises, there is an extreme jump in your energy bill or the furnace needs constant repairs.