As of now, we’re experiencing some warm weather. Your furnace is probably the furthest thing from your mind right now. As you know, Western Pennsylvania has never been known for it’s wonderfully warm and moderate climate. Before long, the cold weather will be sneaking up on us.

Once October rolls around, there will be a few cold days here and there and that’s when most people begin to worry about the health of their heating system. Most homeowners do not realize it, but the end of summer can be one of the best times to get your annual furnace inspection and cleaning.

Why do I need my furnace inspected?

The first thing that we need to cover is why furnace inspections are necessary. To start with, you want to make sure that the system is mechanically sound. If there is a component that needs to be repaired or replaced, catching it early is the best chance to keep the repair costs low and to maintain the integrity of the unit as a whole.

Additionally, the yearly cleaning and maintenance helps to ensure that the system is clean and running to its best possible performance. This will reduce the amount of work that the furnace has to put into heating the home and by doing so, it will save on wear and tear to the system and it will reduce the cost of home heating.

Why now?

Now that we have a basic understanding of why you need annual maintenance on your heater, the question still remains as to why it is a good idea to have this job done in the summer. Well, there are few good reasons that make the summer a more advantageous time to get service done instead of waiting until it starts to get cold.

1.We get busy – As we stated above, the vast majority of homeowners wait until the mid to late fall to get their home heating system serviced. This means that it is going to be a busier time for us. Not only will HVAC techs be doing more routine inspection and maintenance calls in the fall, but they will also have more repair and replacement jobs to perform. This means that there will be fewer appointments available to get your furnace cleaned and checked in the fall when you may be using your heating system regularly.

2. It pays to be proactive – You do not want to wait until you need your heater to make sure that it is in good working order. If the blustery winds of November roll in early from Ohio and Erie and your heater is not functioning properly, it may be hard to schedule an immediate service call and emergency visits tend to cost more than work that it done on a schedule. It is just better to be prudent and make sure that the system is working properly and safely before you need it.

3.Time – If your furnace needs any extensive repairs. If your furnace needs some serious work done on it, the job might take a day or two for the our trained technicians to complete. Being without your heater for a day or two in the summer is no problem at all, but in the late fall the temperatures can dip pretty low and this will be more than a minor inconvenience.

What do you check for?

We’re glad you asked. Our trained technicians check a plethora of components in your system:

• Cracks in your heat exchanger: A gas furnace’s heat exchanger is the furnace component that actually heats the air. It’s comprised of a set of tubes or coils that repeatedly loops through the airflow inside the furnace to heat the air. The shape of the coils depends on the type or model of your furnace. If there’s a possibility of your heat exchanger being cracked, we need to get it fixed or the heating system replaced as soon as possible. A cracked heat exchanger is pretty serious, as far as safety for your home goes. If there’s a crack in this component, the gases being burned off, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, could leak into your home, causing illness or, in extreme cases, death. If you notice any soot, corrosion or cracks, water on the floor, or strange smells coming from your furnace, contact us immediately.
• Clogged or dirty filters – A clogged or dirty filter is one of the most common furnace problems. Clogs and blockages prevent air from circulating properly. This forces the system to work harder and often results in poor heating. To read more about the importance of your air filter. Read our post, “How often do I need to change my air filter?”
• Pilot or ignition issues – With a malfunctioning pilot or ignition control, heating your home will be unreliable and potentially impossible.
• Malfunctioning thermostat – The thermostat is the device that’s responsible for determining when heat needs to be produced and how much heat is needed. When the thermostat isn’t working properly, heat may not be produced and circulated throughout your home. A malfunctioning thermostat could also cause your furnace to produce too much heat.

Your annual heater inspection and cleaning are important for so many reasons and there is really no good reason to wait for the last moment to get it done. In fact, when you really think about it, it makes much more sense to do it long before it starts to get cold outside. Schedule your annual furnace maintenance early with Spurk HVAC and you can save on time, money and possibly a whole lot of stress.

About Spurk HVAC

Spurk HVAC was formed in 2018 and is located in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. We proudly serve Cranberry Twp., Wexford, Gibsonia, Mars, and the surrounding areas. We are an American Standard Customer Care Dealer and a Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor. We service all makes and models. Please contact us if you are seeking  air conditioner repair, air conditioning maintenance, air conditioning replacement, heating repair, heating system replacement, or any other heating & cooling services. Whether you are looking for residential or commercial HVAC services, we look forward to any and all opportunities to become your preferred HVAC contractor.