Just Bought Your First Home? Basic Furnace Repair And Maintenance Tips You Need To Know

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Becoming a first-time homeowner is a huge step in life. In addition to securing a home for your growing family, you have just made an important financial investment toward building net worth. But along with the benefits, homeownership also comes with some pretty hefty responsibilities, such as those associated with maintaining the structure of the home and its major systems. 

For example, instead of calling a landlord when the heating system isn't working, homeowners have to find a good furnace repair contractor and then pay for repairs or maintenance in order to continue enjoying a warm home. Because of this, most new homeowners are eager to learn as much as they can about maintaining their furnace properly so that issues occur less frequently. 

If you are a new homeowner who would like to learn some basic furnace repair and maintenance tips, this quick guide will help. 

Get baseline information for a great start

If you were fortunate, you may have received some good information about the heating system in your home from your real estate agent, the home inspector, or the previous owners of the home during the sales transaction process. If this information was not provided, you will want to reach out to the installing company (look for a label on the furnace exterior) or try to obtain an owner's manual for the make and model of the furnace in your home. 

Key information to obtain includes the following: 

  • the make, model, and type of the system
  • the age, installation date, and size of the system
  • any warranty information

If possible, it is also good to know historical information, such as details about repairs, as well as the service and maintenance history. 

Start with the filters system on day one

Whether you purchased a newly built home or a previously owned home, you should always change the filters as soon as you move in. In a newly constructed home, changing the furnace filters will help to ensure that heated air will not be flowing through any paint or drywall residue that might have been collected if the heating system was running during the construction process, as many are. 

If the home was previously owned, changing the furnace filter as soon as possible upon moving in gives you a sense of security in knowing that the filter is clean. When installing the new filter, take time to write the date on the filter frame and to put a reminder in your phone or tablet's calendar app. If you are old school, put a note in your wall or desk calendar instead so that you will be reminded to change the filter on a regular schedule.

Installing fresh filters well before the existing one becomes clogged is the single most important maintenance task that a homeowner can do to help extend their furnace's lifespan and help it to be as efficient as possible. New homeowners who worry about keeping fresh filters on hand may want to consider purchasing them by the case at the home improvement store, opting to use washable filters, or subscribing to a service that home delivers a fresh filter on a pre-selected schedule. 

Get intimate with your thermostat

Homeowners who want to provide excellent care and maintenance for their furnaces should also take time to learn how a programmable thermostat works, even if it means installing one to replace an outdated, non-programmable model. Learning to program the thermostat to correspond with the family's schedule will ensure that the home is always comfortable and limit wear on the furnace components by allowing it to run less when the family is away from home or sleeping. 

Save by scheduling an annual maintenance visit

New homeowners can also find that spending money for a pre-season furnace inspection and maintenance visit each year will actually help them save money over the long term. During this type of service call, a reputable furnace and maintenance contractor will clean the system, as well as look for and address signs of wear or damage. An annual maintenance call like this allows the homeowner to avoid many expensive emergency repair bills and helps to ensure that the home will remain comfortable and warm. 

For more information, contact a company that offers furnace maintenance services.

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13 December 2019

Shopping For A New HVAC System

After my sister moved into my house with me, she started complaining about the temperature. I had never really thought about it before, or maybe I was just used to it, but my house was pretty cold. She told me that she didn't think the furnace was working properly, so I started checking things out on my own. Sure enough, my furnace seemed to be having some serious problems. I started looking for a replacement, and I was able to find a great furnace for much less than what I initially thought I would need to spend. I wanted to make this blog for anyone out there who might need to shop for a new HVAC system. Check out these great articles for information you might need.