Furnace Maintenance: How to Extend the Life of Your Furnace

An average furnace can serve you for 15 or more years depending on how well you maintain it. Good furnace maintenance also lowers the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning, culminating to numerous health benefits. However, the bottom line is to cut off the high initial cost of buying and installing a new furnace while you can still salvage the one you have. Below are tips on furnace maintenance: how to extend the life of your furnace.

Thermostat complications

furnace maintenance tipsFurnace thermostats are rarely problematic. Despite their long-life features, they usually undergo wear and tear that may come about as a result of bad storage. The development of rust owing to high humidity levels can perforate the thermostat – releasing the gas in it into the air. Note the thermostat is a vital furnace component. Your furnace is subsequently only as good as the thermostat’s state. Thermostat replacement is one of the maintenance stints that you can handle with the help of home care appliances’ repair experts.

Have maintenance schedule

Consider how frequently you use your furnace and draw a maintenance plan from that. If you use the furnace more during spring or fall, then you need to tailor the maintenance schedule during either of these two seasons. This is the time to undertake professional tune-ups that gear toward detection and rectification of gas leak problems. Fixing the leaks helps you to keep the furnace motor in good shape – cutting down on imminent costly maintenances.

Filter replacement

Air circulation problems within a furnace’s system can lead to disappointments. You can avoid this by taking care of the air filtration system to improve quality air circulation. Most manufactures recommend that furnace filters be changed every month. Dirty or half-operational furnace filters can lead to domestic fires. This is because a dirty furnace filter clogs its system and creates explosive gas pressure points.

 

Regular cleaning

The durability aspects of a furnace improve when its cleaned from time-to-time. Proper cleaning removes smoke clutter that may block the gas from reaching the burners. This means that you spend more time during meal preparations. You subsequently use more gas, and this brings about wastage aspects that rocket your home’s overhead bills. Remember to use less corrosive detergents for the clean up since you don’t want the furnace to lose face by losing its original color ambiance. Involve a furnace care expert once in a while to help you with the cleaning stint because they can take the appliance’s components apart, clean it, and reassemble it back together.

Prevention is the best medicine

The secret to avoiding costly furnace maintenance situations is to have the heating appliance frequently inspected for faults. Seasoned furnace repair and installation experts are always a phone call away, and they deliver quality clean-up services at affordable prices

However, this is only possible if you can use a furnace repairman who understands the value of installing quality spare parts. He or she should uphold professionalism besides having the right recommendations and certifications. Otherwise, you may end up throwing good money after bad money.…

How to Ventilate Your Home

One of the most essential elements of a home is the quality of ventilation system. But first, most people are somewhat skeptical or do not see the need to invest in a ventilation system. For centuries, homes were not ventilated, but they did just fine. Things have since changed, and an efficient ventilation system is more of a necessity than an ordinary feature.

The ventilation of a home can take different forms. Here are some common types of home ventilation systems.

No Ventilation

natural ventilation

No ventilation essentially refers to a situation when there is no mechanical system to remove stale air and draw fresh into the house. Decades ago, buildings were not well ventilated, and this strategy worked reasonably well considering that people had to rely on the leakiness of the home ventilation.

Natural Ventilation

This ventilation system relies on unique design elements to bring fresh air in and get rid of stale air. For instance, homeowners might use a chimney as an exit point for hot indoor air. As a result, fresh air gets into other entry points using a pressure difference. As a tip, opening windows rarely works in this approach but can prove useful during the hot summers.

Exhaust Only- Mechanical Ventilation

This ventilation strategy uses an exhaust fan to get rid of unwanted air. It mostly applied in bathrooms as a way of removing stale and moist air that is characteristic of such rooms. Ideally, this ventilation strategy induces a negative pressure inside the house which in turn pulls fresh air in. The only downside with this approach is that it tends to draw soils and other unwanted items as well.

Supply Only – Mechanical Ventilation

Unlike the exhaust-only ventilation, this ventilation strategy uses a fan that forces fresh air inside thus forcing stale air from the opening. In most instances, the supply is delivered in one location after which it air spreads into other locations through vents and openings.

ventilation fanBalanced Ventilation

This is more of a combination of both inlet and exhaust mechanical fans. The good thing about the balanced system is that it lets us control where fresh air comes from and where it is delivered. This is a practical option in major living spaces or areas with a considerable amount of pollutants.

The air inside the home has to be frequently replaced. As such, it is imperative to invest in quality ventilation units from the Ventilation Megastore. If your budget allows it, you can invest in a balanced system and some sensors for efficient ventilation.…