Don't Let Issues Boil Over
Furnace and boiler maintenance: Don’t try this at home.
Mike Whitmire, general manager of Schneider’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, wants people to know that most furnace and boiler upkeep should be left up to professionals.
He likens it to another profession.
“I guess you could say if you had a mechanic untrained and changing brakes, not changing them properly, it would be a disaster that way,” he said.
These days, more people have forced-air furnaces than boilers. That’s because boilers require a separate system for air conditioning, and furnaces have air conditioning adapted to them.
“It makes the home a little bit more simply constructed, and less costly to provide year-round comfort,” Whitmire said.
Beyond changing the filter monthly, homeowners should leave the inspections up to professionals. Annual inspections are extensive. They include monitoring gas or fuel pressure and ensure the burners are clean and burning fuel efficiently.
They also clean the blower to ensure a proper amount of air is distributed through the registry.
“Our employees go through daily and yearly training from manufacturers to learn the proper ways to inspect and maintain the equipment,” Whitmire said.
Boilers also require crucial maintenance. This includes checking the electronic components of the burners and making sure the water is circulating through the base boards as they should.
When it comes to safety, homeowners can be more proactive.
“Don’t spill any flammable materials near the appliance,” warns Whitmire. “A lot of those appliances are in basements, which become storage areas near the home, so you want to keep combustibles away from that.”
Whitmire says he sees combustibles stored near furnaces and boilers “quite often,” such as dirty laundry piled up against them.
He recommends having a carbon monoxide detector in the home, because carbon monoxide is an odorless gas.
Other ways to detect issues with a furnace or boiler are noticing an unbalanced or uneven temperature throughout the home, an unusually long operating cycle for the appliance, and an operating cost that is higher than usual.
Of course, it’s not all left up to homeowners. Professionals include safety checks in their annual inspections. They ensure there are no carbon monoxide leaks, check that there is no blockage or leaking from the venting, and ensure the electrical components are safe to prevent electrocution.
Whitmire said there are ways to have furnace and boiler maintenance done in an affordable way. He said that most companies charge about $100 for cleaning and services of machinery.
Schneider’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning offers a monthly payment program, also. Whitmire reminds people that maintenance is important to make any appliance last longer.
“The better you take care of things the less need you have to replace them,” he said.
Whitmire often sees people be proactive when it comes to their heating.
It is very common for folks to be preventive in their actions,” he said. “To start the season knowing they shouldn’t have any problems throughout the winter.”
