With an excellent education system and crime rates lower than the U.S. average, there’s a lot to love about Bellaire, TX. It’s undoubtedly charming, too, with its tree-lined streets, majestic parks, and beautiful houses.
However, Bellaire also has downsides, including its hot, sometimes brutal summers. So, residents have no choice but to rely more on air conditioners. No wonder they spend $3,240 yearly on electricity, 55% more than the U.S. average!
Sounds familiar?
If so, here’s a tip to help you control your bills during fall and winter: regular heating maintenance. This, plus regular AC tune-ups, can help you save on energy bills. Moreover, it can help keep your home cozy, warm, and safe, especially in a rare (yet possible) snow event.
So, read on, as we’ll discuss how heating maintenance in Bellaire, TX, can benefit you.
1. Services That Go Beyond Cleaning
According to Energy Star, the top causes of HVAC inefficiency and failure are dirt and neglect. This is why it recommends hiring professional HVAC contractors for routine maintenance. For your heating system, the ideal schedule is every fall, before the peak heating season.
While keeping your system clean is essential, professional Bellaire, TX, heating services do more than that. During a maintenance service, an experienced HVAC technician will:
- Thoroughly inspect your system and identify any potential problems
- Clean all essential components (e.g., air filters, burners, and heating elements)
- Lubricate moving parts
- Calibrate and fine-tune the system’s settings
- Test the heating system’s functionality and efficiency
After that, expect the HVAC expert to make recommendations based on their findings.
Suppose your furnace’s burner still works but has developed rusting. The pro may recommend replacing it soon, as rust flakes can clog the burner ports.
2. Maintain Your Heating System’s Efficiency
Inadequate airflow, often caused by dirt, dust, and debris, can lower your heating system’s efficiency.
A perfect example is poor airflow caused by a dirty air filter. Since the filth on the filter acts as an obstruction, it reduces the amount of air entering the system. With less air to heat, your system works harder as it tries to compensate by pulling more air in.
That increases the heater’s workload, leading to increased energy bills.
Another example is when gas furnace burners get clogged with dirt (and rust flakes). These clogs impair the burners’ ability to create flames that burn evenly. As a result, the system’s heating efficiency drops, forcing it to work harder and burn through more gas.
That wastes resources and money. You don’t want that, especially not as natural gas prices typically rise during winter.
Since professional heating maintenance involves a thorough cleaning job, it helps keep your system efficient.
3. Keep Heating-Related Dangers at Bay
Heating fires are among the top culprits behind home fires in the United States. Indeed, they were the second leading cause of U.S. home fires in 2021, linked to 32,200 incidents. They caused hundreds of injuries and nearly half a billion dollars in property loss.
Failure to clean the equipment and delaying necessary heating repair can contribute to such risks.
A gas leak is another danger that faulty or ill-maintained heating systems can cause. This can happen due to pipe or valve damage or a cracked heat exchanger. Either way, it’s dangerous as it can leak natural gas or toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide (CO), into your home.
That’s another reason to hire reputable HVAC companies in Bellaire, TX. With their comprehensive maintenance services, they’ll clean and clear your system of debris that can cause fires. They’ll also inform you of any severe issues that require urgent repairs.
4. Minimize Indoor Air Pollutants
Significant dirt build-up can cause your heating system to produce annoying whistling noises. Your heater can also reintroduce pollutants into your indoor air.
Take a clogged air filter as an example. When the heating system pushes air through the filter, it can knock dust and dirt loose. These particles can then mix with the air, lowering indoor air quality (IAQ).
Poor IAQ can negatively affect your health and the well-being of your family. For instance, it can irritate the eyes, nose, and lungs and cause headaches or fatigue. It can also trigger allergies and asthma and worsen the symptoms of existing health woes.
So, before any of that happens, have your heating system undergo comprehensive maintenance.
It’s also wise to ask the HVAC technician to teach you how to replace your air filters. They’ll change or clean it for you during the service, but you should still learn how as you may have to do it yourself every one to three months. You may have to do it more often if you have pets, cook a lot (with a gas stove or oven), or use a wood-burning fireplace.
5. Prolong Your System’s Life
Whenever your system has to work harder than it should, it develops premature wear and tear.
Let’s use impaired airflow caused by dirty filters as an example. As mentioned above, this forces your heating system to work harder. It does so by prolonging the heating cycle to reach your desired temperature.
In a furnace, that can mean the heating element stays hot for extended periods. Another is the system’s blower motor having to run longer than necessary.
Over time, all that added but unnecessary strain can cause the components to overheat. This chips away at their lifespan, ultimately leading to their early failure.
Now, remember that new heating installation can cost thousands of dollars. That’s why you want your existing system to last as long as it should. For the same reason, shower it with the attention and TLC it deserves by having it tuned up every fall.
Reap These Benefits of Regular Heating Maintenance
Regular professional heating maintenance can help make your system perform efficiently and safely. It also helps maintain optimal IAQ while protecting your equipment from early failure.
So, as part of your home winter prep, have your heating system tuned up as early as fall.
Our team of HVAC experts here at McCann Services can help. For over 60 years, Bellaire and Greater Houston residents have relied on our high-quality services.
Call us today to schedule your HVAC maintenance! We’ll happily ensure your system keeps you warm and cozy throughout winter.