What can I do to prepare my furnace for winter?
Preparing your furnace for winter is, in my opinion, one of the most important tasks in home maintenance. The best practice is to have a licensed HVAC service company go through a complete tune-up and safety evaluation every year. In this process at Swan we will clean and tune all components in the furnace and check for natural gas and carbon monoxide leaks in the furnace and gas water heater. For a complete list of services provided in the tune-up process please visit our website, www.swanhomecomfort.com.
The most common portion of the fall furnace prep a homeowner can perform on their own is cleaning or replacing the furnace filter. I know this sounds obvious, however, the number-one cause for a service call at Swan year-round is related to dirty systems and often, the fault of a clogged air filter. A furnace filter should be replaced at least every other month but in many cases every month is necessary. The variables that affect the frequency of filter replacement are:
- The running time of the fan in the furnace: As you may know, the same filter in the furnace is also filtering the air when cooling in the summer. The summer of 2018 was one of the hottest summers I can remember in Colorado and our systems were running 12+ hours per day for three months. This above-average run time caused more dirt and dust moving through the system in a shorter period of time. In a mild summer or winter your fan will run less, which would require fewer filter replacements.
- The cleanliness of the home and duct system: Typically, a cleaner home will have a cleaner duct system and ultimately require fewer filter replacements. A home with multiple pets and/or large families will be more likely to move more dirt and dust around and have dirtier duct systems, as well as dirtier filters. An extremely valuable service we provide at Swan Heating and Air is whole house air duct cleaning. Air ducts are often left dirty simply because homeowners are unable to see what’s inside. We recommend having the duct system cleaned in most homes every three to five years. We have some clients that have the service performed every year. During a maintenance visit, our technicians will be happy to perform a camera inspection of the interior of the duct system and then determine whether or not the duct system needs to be cleaned and how much it will cost to have this service performed.
If I’m in need of a repair on my older furnace how do I choose between repairing or replacing the furnace?
This is a very common dilemma many homeowners are faced with when having to invest money in their HVAC systems. The national average life of a heating and cooling system is 15 years. We have seen systems last 40 years and we have replaced systems after five years. Here are some of the most common variables that will play a role in this important decision:
• How old is the system?
• How much is the repair?
• What is the efficiency rating of the system?
• Compared to buying a new system, what is the estimated annual savings potential?
• Has the system been doing its job to your satisfaction?
• Have there been other problems with the system?
Every situation is unique in many ways and there are many variables that will play a role in this decision, in general I would be very careful before spending money to repair a system that is older than 15 years old.
Why Choose Swan Heating and Air?
Swan Heating and Air is a family-owned business started by me and my wife, Julie, out of our garage in 2006. We now have two locations, more than 50 team members, and thousands of happy, comfortable clients.
We focus 100 percent on residential service and take great pride in delivering an over-the-top, world-class customer-service experience. When we leave a client’s home, our goal is for them to be so happy that they can’t stop telling all their friends! We have learned over the years that we can’t have a great business without happy clients, and it’s much easier to make clients happy when you employ great people. I’m so proud and lucky to be surrounded by a team of industry leading overachievers. The success of our business is a result of hardworking people that love the career that they chose.
When doing business with Swan, the client cannot lose! We have the best people, the best warranties, the best guarantees, the best products and leadership that is relentless in the pursuit of carrying out the Swan promise. We never take shortcuts or use cheap materials and we stand behind our services until our clients are beyond 100 percent happy!
599 W. 66th Street • Loveland, CO 80538
(970) 658-3277 • info@swanhomecomfort.com
www.swanhomecomfort.com
