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Serving the South Puget Sound and Western Washington Areas Since 1976

Serving the South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington Areas Since 1976

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How to Get Your Home Ready for Heating Season

Snow-HomeHeating season is here, which means it’s time to start getting your home ready for the next few months of cold weather if you haven’t already. There are a lot of different things that you could do to ensure your home is properly prepared for the heating season, but we’re going to cover a couple of the most important steps to take below. Follow these tips, and you should be well-prepared for anything the winter cold can throw at you this year.

Schedule Preventive Maintenance

The kinds of issues that often afflict heating systems of all kinds do not typically show symptoms until they’re very far along. That means if you’re waiting for a symptom to warn you that something is wrong with your heating system before calling for repairs, you likely will have to pay higher costs to repair the damage already done. The better way to deal with heating problems is to repair them before they develop that far. That means scheduling preventive maintenance.

Preventive maintenance allows your technician to find and fix problems with your system much earlier than they otherwise would have. This limits the chances of something serious damaging your heater, lowering the odds by up to 90%. Preventive maintenance can also increase the energy efficiency of your system by up to 40%, assuming you’ve been scheduling it consistently. This is the single best way to make sure your heater is in good shape for as long as possible.

Know When to Call for Repairs

Even though preventive maintenance is a good way to reduce the odds of a serious issue affecting your heater, it’s not a guarantee. There is still a chance of some sort of problem developing with your system between maintenance appointments. For that reason, it’s important you know what to look for that indicates a need for repairs. There are far too many symptoms for us to cover all of them here, but we can go over some of the most common ones.

For example, you should always call for repairs if you notice any strange noises coming out of the heating system. Grinding, hissing, booming, and generally any noise that your system doesn’t normally make should all prompt a visit by your HVAC technician. Odd noises can indicate all kinds of issues with the system, but you’ll need a professional to examine it to tell for certain.

You should also call for repairs if you notice your heating system short cycling. Short cycling is a behavior during which the furnace or heat pump turns itself on and off every few minutes instead of completing a full cycle. Short cycling limits the heating ability of the system, but it also increases the rate at which the system wears down. The longer you use the system while it’s short cycling, the more prone to developing various issues it’s going to be. Call for repairs as soon as you notice this issue, or else you may have to replace the entire heating system early.

If you need an HVAC contractor in Tacoma, WA, we are here for you.

Sunset Air offers a full range of heating maintenance and installation services. Contact us today for an appointment with one of our professional technicians. We’ll make sure that your home stays comfortable throughout the heating season.

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