Many people take heating for granted. After all, it is something that just functions in the background in your home. However, if the furnace breaks, most likely, you will see just how important heating really is. It is very important for your comfort and perhaps even health in some cases that your home be at the right temperature. This is why it is good to have a heating system repair professional on hand at all times, so that you can be prepared for an emergency should it happen. You don’t want to be in the situation where you have heating that has stopped working and now need to start looking for someone, especially if it is at night or on the weekend.
There are many people that you might be able to hire for AC and heating unit repair. You might have a few questions about the process. For example, where can I find someone to fix furnace near me? What are the best furnace companies in my area? When it comes to furnace repair and service, you want to make sure to do all the appropriate research to find the best professional to come to your home and work on your systems.
The hilarious tweets start ping ponging back and forth between the district superintendent and the high school students as soon as the forecast for snow is announced. The social media feed is a great way to join in the fun of the weather prediction game that every school kid and teacher in the cold weather states across the nation can relate to:
- Superintendent tweets:MPSstudents – not thinking a snow day but will be up early checking weather/forecast. A slim chance is better than no chance! #study
- Student tweets:How much would it cost us to get a snow day? The accompanying photo shows students pretending to bribe the superintendent with a stack of bills at a high school basketball game.
- Superintendent tweets:MPS students – Enjoy Snowmageddon! No school for the rest of the week! #greattimingmothernature
- Student tweets:My dog says she will be lonely if I have to go to school tomorrow. Snow Day?
- Superintendent tweets:Are you sure your dog doesn’t want the house to herself tomorrow? Mine does!
- Superintendent tweets:Last tweet of the night. Always appreciate the laughs. I will let you know in the morning if school is cancelled. #study #spoonunderpillow
The fun of a school day cancelled because of cold weather and snow, however, can be quickly erased by the cost of expensive heating repairs. The fun disappears even faster if furnace repairs take so long that pipes in the house start to freeze. Unfortunately, heating repairs usually occur on the coldest day of the year, sometimes endangering people, pets, and homes. One way to possibly avoid unexpected and expensive heating repairs is to follow a recommended service plan.
Scheduling a heating inspection from a certified technician in the weeks leading up to the cold weather months can often be a way to predict upcoming problems. A yearly check up can help avoid some problems that can be repaired before the cold weather of winter really sets in. In addition to scheduling a certified inspection, watch for the following signs that a furnace may be having problems:
- The age of a furnace. National averages indicate that furnaces typically last 15 to 18 years. If a furnace is nearing the end of this range, a home owner would be wise to start considering a replacement. Being proactive is often better than finding out on the coldest day of the winter, when all of the repair services are busy, that a furnace is not working.
- Unusually high heating bills. Extremely high heating bills can be an indicator of a furnace that is having to run too long, and work too hard to keep the house warm. Often these bills are an indicator of future problems.
- Failure of a major part. If a key part like the heat exchanger or control module fails, a home owner might be better off to just replace the entire furnace. Like an aging car, once one major part quits working, other expensive failures are likely to follow.
- Family members complaining of not feeling well. If members of your family have been complaining about constant headaches, nausea, or being overly tired, it could be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak in a home. It is important these problems are checked out immediately.
- Strange noises. Noticing loud noises when the furnace first turns on or when it turns off can also be an indicator that something is not right with the furnace. Again, it is better to call out a certified technician who is known for reliable heating repairs than to be caught unaware and have to wait on a replacement furnace on the coldest day of the winter.
If there is good news about needing to replace a furnace, it is that the newest models are much more energy efficient and, as a result, cost less to run. The lowest efficiency rating allowed for new furnaces is 78%, although some of the best heating systems operate at an efficiency rating as high as 98%. Translated into dollars, this means that while a new system may be expensive to purchase and install, it may immediately save you money on energy bills. In addition to saving energy, the newest models of furnaces also emit a much smaller percentage of carbon emissions, creating a healthier home and fewer toxins in the environment.
