Property owners in Titusville rely much more on their air conditioners than their furnaces, and that sometimes leads them to believe that professional furnace maintenance just isn’t that important. The fact is that complete HVAC maintenance — including heating systems — is important for many reasons, not the least of which is preventing potential safety and fire hazards.
Read on as Altman’s Cooling & Heating, longstanding furnace maintenance experts in Titusville, FL, provides some of the most important reasons why attempting do-it-yourself furnace maintenance can cost much more than it saves.
1. Incorrect Pilot Light Inspection Can Lead to Dangerous Conditions
Proper Pilot light inspection is crucial to ensuring your furnace runs smoothly. Pilot lights that flicker or will not stay lit can indicate more serious problems, like a faulty thermocouple or even a dangerous gas leak. HVAC experts examine pilot light equipment and pilot flames for these and other potential issues.
Homes that use older gas furnaces are especially susceptible to pilot light problems. Proper gas line inspection and maintenance services are always important safety measures that an experienced professional should handle.
2. Faulty Thermostat Calibration Causes Energy Waste
Thermostat calibration is essential to proper furnace function. When a thermostat malfunctions or falls out of calibration with the actual indoor temperature, your furnace will likely waste energy and fail to maintain the temperature you desire. In addition, short cycling often results from thermostat problems and causes excess heating system wear and tear.
Proper thermostat and calibration is a routine job for an expert HVAC technician using the proper tools and technology. DIY attempts often go wrong because property owners simply don’t have the proper equipment to test the system.
3. Blower Cleaning Mistakes Damage Furnace Components
Furnace blowers circulate warm air evenly throughout your living space. Because all HVAC systems attract dust and debris, blower cleaning is essential for proper maintenance.
Another problem with do-it-yourself furnace maintenance is the common failure or inability to perform proper blower cleaning. Without technical knowledge of HVAC mechanical systems and the proper cleaning tools, it becomes functionally impossible to adequately remove dust and debris from inner surfaces.
Worse still, homeowners can easily damage essential heating system parts while attempting to clean the blower components. Damage to the section of your heater leads to lowered airflow and system overheating.
4. Neglecting Professional Heat Exchanger Inspection Can Be Hazardous
Proper heat exchanger inspection is one of the most critical safety checks an HVAC expert performs during routine inspection and maintenance. Cracked or damaged heat exchangers can leak carbon monoxide. This odorless, colorless gas presents severe health risks in indoor living spaces.
Specialized equipment is essential to properly check heat exchangers for these dangerous leaks or other malfunctions. Titusville’s hot summers and mild winters mean that fluctuating temperatures in colder months place additional stress on heat exchangers. Work with an expert to ensure safe operation and address potential heat exchanger issues promptly.
5. Inadequate Flame Sensor Cleaning Can Shut Down Your Furnace
The flame sensor is an essential safety component. A dirty or faulty sensor typically prevents your furnace from turning on, leaving you without heat on the cool evenings and mornings when you need it most. Homeowner attempts to clean flame sensors often scratch or damage them, leading to expensive replacements.
There Is Some Furnace Maintenance You Should Do
There are some things you should do regularly in between routine professional maintenance visits. Practice regular filter replacement every 30 to 90 days and keep your vents and registers open, clean, and unobstructed. However, any mechanical maintenance is best left to an HVAC expert.
Rely on Altman’s Cooling & Heating in Titusville, FL
Altman’s Cooling & Heating has served Titusville and the surrounding communities for multiple decades and brings unmatched experience and skill to every service call we make. Our business has thrived because of our foundational principles — honesty, reliability, and superior customer service.
We provide reliable and cost-effective HVAC maintenance that will ensure your heating system is ready for winter and your air conditioner is ready for our prolonged warm and hot seasons.
Don’t run the risk of do-it-yourself furnace maintenance. It often leads to more harm than good while impacting system performance and safety. Save yourself the hassle and count on our team to handle the job with precision and skill as you receive peace of mind regarding energy-efficient comfort in cool weather.
Contact Altman’s Cooling & Heating to schedule prompt and effective service for all of your indoor comfort needs.
Read our other blog posts for useful information on topics like how to reset an air conditioner breaker.