3 Tips for Maintaining Your Furnace This Winter

Hoff Heating & AC has been a leading provider of heating services in O’Fallon for more than 35 years. Our clients often ask us what our top tips are for preventing furnace problems in winter. While in-person answers are personalized to the customer, here are our top three tips for the average homeowner.

1. Schedule a Tune-Up in Autumn

We recommend a tune-up in advance of the cold setting in. In fact, most furnace problems that occur during winter can be avoided through preventative care. It may seem like an unnecessary cost when everything was fine with a furnace the year before, but tune-ups are relatively inexpensive. They include a comprehensive examination as well as whatever maintenance your system may need.

2. Inspect Your Furnace Filter Each Week

Air filters have a much bigger effect on the efficiency and wear and tear of a furnace than most people realize. Many people have the notion of changing the filter every three months, but this is just a guideline and often woefully inadequate during winter. Our recommendation is to check the filter each week. If you can see that the filter is dirty, replace it, and if the color is unusual, schedule service.

3. Reduce Your Home Heating Load

Winter can be hard on your furnace, so avoid working it any harder than is necessary. Our recommendation is to break your day and night into blocks. Each block should have its own temperature. You can, for instance, have a different temperature for while you are sleeping, working, and enjoying your home. Smart thermostats are an excellent way to achieve this. If you do not have a programmable thermostat yet, you can do the balancing yourself, but avoid over-adjusting the furnace, which can actually cause it to work harder and thus result in unnecessary wear.

Prepare Your Furnace for Winter

In addition to a full range of heating services, you can count on Hoff Heating & AC for cooling installation, maintenance and repair. We also provide services related to geothermal heating, humidity control, germicidal lights, ventilation and air filtration. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you.