When winter arrives, you’ll want to know that your furnace is ready to go. This is especially true if you live in a rather chilly area, like Tacoma, WA, or Portland, OR, where the temperatures often drop below 50 degrees at night except during the warmest days of the summer. Folks living in such areas will want to make sure that their furnace is closely inspected before the coldest months set in. Should your furnace be found to be in poor condition, you’ll want to either repair it or replace it with a new furnace installation Tacoma-based. Let’s take a closer look at some of the many benefits of furnace maintenance.
Keep Your Furnace Running as Long as Possible
The total cost to purchase and install a new furnace tops $4,500, according to Agricultural Digest. Folks who live in an area with a high cost of living, like Seattle and Tacoma, WA, could easily find themselves shelling out much more. A furnace itself can cost several thousand dollars and because installation is tricky and requires highly specialized skills that will also set you back quite a bit.
One way you can keep costs manageable is to ensure that your current furnace runs for as long as possible. The longer you can wait to replace your furnace with a new unit, the better. Proper maintenance will help you extend the lifespan of your furnace. When parts wear out and fail, it can stress your unit and make it more likely that other parts will fail. Further, if an issue is caught early, it might be a simple fix. If you wait until things break completely, this could run up the repair bill.
Ensure Maximum Efficiency Now and in the Future
If your furnace is not properly maintained, it may not run as efficiently as it otherwise could. You might find that your utility bills are going up, especially in the midst of the winter, and you can’t explain why. If your utility company didn’t raise rates and your usage habits haven’t changed dramatically, the rising costs could be due to a poorly maintained or malfunctioning furnace unit.
By having your furnace serviced and inspected regularly, you may be able to keep it in optimal condition. This could help increase efficiency and ensure that your utility bills remain as low as possible. As with many other things in recent years, energy prices have been trending up. Some increases in utility costs may be hard to avoid, but with proper maintenance, you can help keep costs as low as possible.
Protect Your Family and Increase Safety
Unfortunately, a poorly maintained or malfunctioning furnace could greatly increase the risk of certain events, like home fires. The United States Fire Administration actually reports that heating fires rank as the second most common cause of fires, trailing only cooking-related fires. Many heating-related fires are caused by poorly maintained furnaces.
This means if you don’t strive to keep your furnace in good condition, you might be putting your family and property at risk. Indeed, 190 people were killed by heating fires in 2021 and more than $400 million in property damages were recorded. With proper maintenance, you can greatly reduce risks.
Ultimately, every part of your home should be well-maintained, including your heating system. Even with proper maintenance, the day will arrive when a furnace needs to be replaced. That said, proper maintenance will help keep costs low and risks manageable until that day arrives.
