The Magic Box Keeping Your House Warm

By Sharee Landers

As we enter into the cold season, it’s again that time of year to turn on your furnace, which is the first time switching to heat on the thermostat. You know, that magic box on the wall that gives us comfort all through the year?

Yes, we all know there is something behind that magic box, but we often neglect our furnace and air conditioner when we rely on that magic box alone.

Turn on your furnace

When you first turn on your furnace, you may notice a slight burning scent. This smell is very common and usually nothing to be worried about. You see, over time, furnaces collect dust as the fan runs throughout the season. When kicking on the system, it heats all of that collected dust and creates that burning smell.

While that burning, dusty smell may not mean that there is a problem; this is a great time to have your HVAC professional thoroughly check out your furnace. It’s common to wonder if it’s even necessary. My answer is YES! As a comfort advisor, one of the most common questions I get asked is what will we do when checking out a furnace or doing a furnace tuneup. That’s a great question!

Safety

Our number one concern is your safety. We want to make sure that you remain healthy and safe during the heating season in your home. Furnaces provide heat transfer, and over time this creates stress on the heat exchanger. Our primary concern is to ensure that the heating chamber on your furnace is sealed, and there is no possibility of carbon monoxide leaking out.

Once we have confirmed that everything is safe, we check all of the furnace’s electrical components. We clean everything correctly and check that nothing is preventing good heat transfer during the winter months. Demonstrating and explaining this process to you, the homeowner, along the way, if you like. We want to help you better understand your system and give you the opportunity to ask questions. Ensuring and providing you with peak efficiency, no matter your equipment’s age, is our goal.

Efficiency

As our highly trained technicians ensure your furnace is running efficiently, we might need to repair some components to get the maximum life out of your furnace. Many times if the equipment is registered, the parts are under warranty for up to 10 years.

If we need to make significant repairs to keep your furnace running well, then you might want to think about replacing it. Often, replacing a furnace instead of putting money toward repairs can save you money. How, you ask? Over time your furnace starts running less efficient, and if it wasn’t appropriately sized or wasn’t efficient in the first place, then we can install the right size of equipment for your home. Also, furnaces now go up to 98% efficient. This means you are only losing 2% of your money due to a lack of efficiency.

If you need assistance with your furnace this season, please give Western Heating and Air a call at (801) 224-8899 or visit www.WesternHeatingAir.com , and we will send someone out right away.

We are here to help you make the best decision for your family and have peace of mind while enjoying your warm home this winter!