Preparing Your Heater for Summer

Preparing Your Heater for Summer written by Chris Carpenter of Affordable Heating and Air

As winter draws to a close and the longer, warmer days of spring and summer begin in Northern California, your thoughts naturally turn to preparing your cooling system for the warm weather ahead, but now is also the right time to think about your heater. Before spring and summer hits is the perfect time to make any necessary heater repairs.

Like everything mechanical, use leads to wear and tear on the moving parts of your heating system. The end of heater weather is the perfect time to have your service technician out to your home to give your heating system a complete check up and make any needed heater repair.

Why Repairing Your Heater in Warm Weather Makes Sense

There are several reasons why it makes sense to have any necessary heater repairs done in the spring. As the weather warms and people are using their heating systems less, your local heater repair technicians will be less busy. This will make it easier for you to schedule their visit to your home.

Just as important as finding a technician with free time is the fact that your furnace also has free time. Since the furnace will not be running, the service technician is free to carefully inspect the entire system without waiting for it to cool down. Plus, if for any reason the repairs cannot be finished quickly, you do not have to worry about being cold until the technician has finished the heater repair.

What To Expect From A Furnace Tune-Up

While the technician is out to your house, you should ask him to do a complete tune up of your heating system. This will include not only looking for and making any necessary repairs, but also cleaning and checking the entire system to ensure it is ready to run safely and efficiently when heater weather returns.  Here is what should be done.

• Clean motor and fans – dirt can build up on the moving parts of your heating system. Cleaning them will reduce any further wear and tear and keep them functioning at peak efficiency.
• Clean duct work and check for leaks – getting the dust out of your ducts will improve your home’s indoor air quality and sealing leaks will ensure that the warm air gets where it belongs.
• Change the air filters if you haven’t already – this will reduce the likelihood of future furnace repairs and keep your system running smoothly.
• Check for safety issues – these may include fuel leaks, holes in the furnace’s fire box and problems with chimney or flues.
• Make any heater repair necessary.

Things You Can Do

While repairing your furnace is best left to the professionals, there are many things you can do to get your furnace ready for its dormant season. Take the time to thoroughly clean around your furnace. This will not only reduce the possibility of a fire come next winter, it will also make it easier for your technician to spot problems and make furnace repairs.

In most cases, checking and replacing the air filters for your heating system are things you can easily do yourself.

If you have questions about preparing your furnace for summer or if you believe that a heater repair is necessary, contact us at Affordable Heating and Cooling. We have 25 years of experience installing, maintaining and repairing, heating systems and will happily answer your questions or schedule a time to come out and give your furnace a tune-up and make heater repairs. Remember our number is 707-953-3345.