Are you a good furnace owner?

Spend a winter as a homeowner anywhere near Chicago and you’ll know, the furnace is the beating heart of a comfortable, safe, welcoming home. Your furnace is running a marathon every winter, and your job as a good furnace owner is to keep that machine working at peak efficiency through the whole season. Every system in your home relies on a heating unit that functions efficiently and without fail: water, electric, security, and most importantly, the happiness of the people in your house. It’s a big responsibility, but you can follow a few simple steps to make sure your home’s heart is supplied with plenty of clean oxygen, is free of obstructions, and is not burdened with big temperature fluctuations in its mission to keep your house ticking.

The most important thing you can do is to purchase a furnace and have it installed by a factory authorized dealer in the Chicagoland area. If you’re already a homeowner with a furnace that’s currently working well, there are also benefits to choosing a factory authorized dealer for maintenance. These dealers go through rigorous safety training and will make sure your new furnace is safely installed in an appropriate location in the house or your current furance is well-maintained throughout the season. Another benefit of relying on an authorized dealer is that when you schedule regular maintenance, you’re getting a technician who is held to higher standards – standards set and enforced by the manufacturers. Chicago winters are brutal, so it is crucial to remember to set up those regular service visits. Most HVAC dealers will recommend two visits per year. Getting those on the calendar is the single most important thing you can do to keep your furnace in perfect working order.

In addition to setting up a regular professional maintenance schedule, there are some other simple steps you can take to ensure your furnace lasts longer and runs more efficiently throughout its service life – saving you significant money in heating costs.

The first step is an easy one: Keep the area around your furnace clean and free of obstacles. Your tech chose a well-ventilated, unobstructed location for your furnace, and it’s important to keep that area as uncluttered as it was in the moments after your installation. Contaminants like lint, sawdust, excessive amounts of pet hair, or anything else that can interfere with the furnace’s operation can pose a safety hazard and/or reduce efficiency. This is especially important if you have an older furnace with louvers (vents) that feed oxygen directly into the combustion chamber – any impediment to that airflow will reduce efficiency and shorten the life of the furnace. Newer models typically draw air from PVC intakes on the roof, but it still makes sense to make sure the furnace space is dedicated entirely to the furnace. Keep it clean. Keep it uncluttered.

The second step is also relatively simple: Change the furnace’s filter regularly. Filters are easily removable by hand without any tools and will have a corresponding size printed on their frame. There is a wide array of filters and brands to choose from – the only thing that really matters is the size. Paper and fiberglass filters should be changed every two months in the heating season, and electrostatic or HEPA filters should be changed or cleaned every two to four months. To install the new filter, you’ll simply slide it into the corresponding slot on the furnace. A clean filter allows for efficient airflow back to the furnace. On your service visits, your HVAC technician will be able to measure your unit’s combustion efficiency – routine filter changes can assure your furnace is working at its highest capability.

The third step you can take to be a good furnace owner is a bit counterintuitive: Keep your system on for the entire cold season and heat your house to a comfortable and consistent temperature throughout. It may seem logical to drop the temperature significantly when you know the house will be unoccupied during the day, but it is less efficient to bring a house back up to a higher temperature from a cold one than it is to choose a comfortable baseline temperature for the system to maintain. Similarly, even if you plan to be away for a significant period of time, never let the house drop below a reasonable temperature – pipes located in exterior walls are always vulnerable to the extremes of the Chicago winters and wind, and it’s far cheaper to keep the heat on than deal with the damage caused by burst pipes.

You already know that owning a home is a big responsibility and maintaining a safe and effective furnace is key to being able to enjoy that home throughout the entire year. Chicagoans are known for their hardiness in the worst these winters have to offer, but your home is not a place to prove your toughness. It’s a place to relax in the consistent warmth provided by a quality furnace. If you’re in the market for a new furnace, consider any one of Chicagoland’s numerous factory authorized Carrier or Bryant dealers. That way, you’re getting the best: Factory-trained technicians not only install your furnance safely, they help you maintain it for max efficiency and comfort. If you already have a furnace, those same dealers can provide you the highest level of service through your furnace’s life. And when you’re ready for a new one, you’ll know where to go.