How Long Has It Been Since You’ve Had a Heater Tune-Up?
There is a simple answer to that question: Every heating system, furnace, heat pump, or boiler should receive maintenance and a tune-up every year before the heating season starts. Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing knows that we don’t live in a perfect world and some Waterford, MI and Oxford, MI homeowners have forgotten or ignored their heating systems. Here are some warning signs that maintenance is needed to avoid major damage to the system that can leave you shivering in the Michigan cold.
Unusual Noises
Everyone knows that the fans and blowers in a forced air system are going to make noise. The problem comes when you start to notice unusual sounds. A normally operating system won’t be making banging, rattling, and screeching sounds. They all indicate some type of mechanical problem. Most often due to issues with the fan or blower. Those sounds indicate that some of the parts need to be repaired or replaced. In some cases, it might mean bearings need to be lubricated but that’s less likely in modern furnaces and heat pumps with sealed bearings. Here’s the deal: ignoring those sounds can lead to much more expensive repairs, so don’t procrastinate. Let our Kotz technicians find and fix the problem.
Short Cycles
When the heating system in your Oxford, MI or Waterford, MI home turns on it should run for about 10-15 minutes. That is the typical heating cycle. If you notice your furnace turns on and off repeatedly with short cycles of just a minute or two, that’s a problem. So called “short cycling” increases wear and tear on your expensive system and wastes energy leading to higher monthly bills. There are multiple reasons why this happens. The good news is many of them can be easily fixed by a Kotz technician, but please don’t ignore the problem.
Faulty Ignition Systems
Every gas furnace needs a device to light the gas on fire. It might be a pilot light (older models) or an electronic ignitor. In either case, a lack of maintenance can cause the ignition system to stop working or work intermittently. You will know quickly because without the fuel being lit on fire you are not going to get any heat in your home. This problem should be immediately inspected and repaired by a qualified technician. While there are many safety devices built in, a faulty ignition system has the potential to allow dangerous gas build ups from the furnace.
Old Age
Always remember that maintenance and tune-ups become more important as the heating system gets older. Heating systems typically last 10-15 years. But in order to meet or exceed those lifespans, you must commit to religious maintenance. Even then, the time will arrive when it makes more sense to replace the old system both for reliability and efficiency.
Do It The Right Way
Now, let’s go back to the beginning. Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing wants you to be able to recognize the problems that require immediate maintenance but waiting for those problems to appear makes no sense. Be proactive by scheduling yearly heater tune-ups. Better yet, sign up for the Kotz Red Carpet Maintenance Program for your heating AND cooling systems. You don’t even have to remember because we will call you to make an appointment.
