The Importance of Having Your Furnace Serviced Before Winter

You rely on your furnace to keep your family warm during the coldest months of the year. As fall gets in full swing and winter starts to approach, you want to make sure your furnace is ready to handle the job of keeping your home comfortable when the temperatures outside start to dip.

Homeowners need to stay up to date on furnace maintenance to ensure this important appliance is ready to fire up as soon as they need it. When is the best time to get a furnace checked? The answer is, before the winter hits—here’s why.

Safety concerns

If you’re asking yourself, “Should I get my heater checked before winter?” the answer depends on whether or not you want to do what you can to ensure your family’s safety. Pre-winter heater checks keep your family safe all winter long. If your furnace runs on oil, natural gas or propane, it’s crucial to get your unit checked once a year, preferably before winter, to make sure it’s functioning as it should.

All it takes is one tiny crack in a line or joint, and harmful gas can leak into your home. Make sure all components are in excellent shape before the winter season by having your system checked out by a professional.

Enhance performance

Even if you don’t live in the coldest climate in the country, you’re likely going to be using your furnace throughout the winter to take the chill off the house when temperatures outside dip a little too low for comfort. The best time to get a furnace checked is always before winter because you can ensure that your appliance is running at peak performance all season long. A pre-winter checkup gets all components clean, and the filter is also replaced to promote efficiency.

Electricity concerns

During your annual pre-winter checkup, your HVAC technician will perform an electrical test to confirm your furnace is operating as it should. Your technician will use special equipment to test voltage and currents being sent to your unit. They’ll also tighten all electrical connections. This is a vital step in the checkup process, since loose or dirty electrical connections don’t conduct as well and become hotter, posing a safety risk for you and your family.

Warranty concerns

In many cases, manufacturers require annual furnace checkups in order to keep the warranty on the unit valid. To conform with most warranties, you’ll want to be sure that your HVAC service professional is certified to work on your brand of furnace, since having work done by uncertified technicians can void the warranty. Always keep service records on hand for future reference and to validate your warranty, if necessary.

Should you get your heater checked before winter? Absolutely—and you shouldn’t delay making an appointment with your preferred HVAC professionals, since demand for service is high at this time of year. Reach out to PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air to schedule your service and to learn more about proper HVAC maintenance for winter and beyond.