After a blazingly hot summer, most homeowners are looking forward to the cooler months of the year. At some point, your heating system will come into play and that’s when things will really heat up (pardon our pun). Before you go ahead with turning on your heater for the new season, follow these tips:
Turn On the Pilot Light
Since it’s been a while since your heating system has been up and running, there’s a good chance that your pilot light needs to be lit once again. If you don’t know how to do this yourself or want to have your system checked at the same time, call a qualified technician. Which brings us to our second point.
Hire a Qualified Technician
Heating systems are built to last, but they still need to be serviced if you hope to keep them running efficiently and effectively for as long as possible. An inspection by a qualified technician should be scheduled once per year to make sure this happens.
Clean or Replace the Air Filter
When your system’s air filter gets dirty, the system won’t run as well as before, not to mention that contaminants will be expelled back into your air. You can prevent this by cleaning or replacing the air filter every 1-3 months, depending on how quickly it gets clogged up.
Switch to a Better Thermostat
Manual thermostats are things of the past and have been replaced by programmable models that allow you to set the days and times of your HVAC system’s operation. Many of these also offer options like wi-fi connectivity and weather updates.
Test your Alarms
Your home should be equipped with multiple smoke alarms and at least one carbon monoxide alarm per story. You can test each one by pressing a small button that’s usually located on the front of the unit and replace the batteries, if needed.