Do you feel a chill in the evening breeze? Are your woolens slowly coming out of the closet? Winter is around the corner, and it is time you got ready for it.
Your Heating System: The Most Vital link to Winter Comfort
When it is snowing outside, water freezes on the sidewalks, and an icy wind cuts across the neighborhood is the time to cozy up with your family in a comfortably heated home, enjoying the warmth of human relationships. Winter can be the loveliest season of all, provided it does not invade the comfort of your home.
Get your Heating System Winter Ready
Your heating system has been lying around doing nothing since last spring. It has idled through the summer months and even now lies in deep slumber. However, before the winter arrives it needs to be fighting fit. So how and when do you get it back into shape?
Autumn – the Season of Preparation
In the days gone by, autumn was the period of preparing for the winter. The harvest was brought in, and a store of provisions was stocked in the larder.
As it was then, so is it now. According to heating experts, autumn is the right season to get heating systems back into working order. Give everything a check and have a dry run. See if everything is working correctly. Otherwise, you would be forced to conduct repairs while your whole family freezes in the cold.
Getting Heating Systems back into Shape
The simple rule is – check everything, and then check again. Everything was working the last time you switched it on, but that was almost a year ago. So make sure that every little thing is in working order.
Here are a few things that you need to do to get your home ready for winter.
Will Winter Come in Through the Cracks?
No matter how well heating systems work, if there are leaks and cracks through which heat can escape, they will never be effective. So check all your doors and windows. Do they close properly? Are they allowing the outside air to come in?
Let the Air Filter Through
A steady supply of air is necessary for your furnace to work properly. So if dirt and debris are clogging the filter, it could reduce heating efficiency while significantly increasing energy consumption. The best thing to do would be to change the filter before the onset of winter, and then do regular checks every week. You will probably need to install new filters once every month of winter.
Get the Temperature Just Right
Thermostats are a critical part of heating systems. These make sure that the heating of a home is just right – not too cold nor too uncomfortably warm. A malfunctioning thermostat can cause more trouble than you can imagine. So check whether your thermostat is working correctly. Use a thermometer for this test.
Take Care of the Leaks
The hot air is circulated through your home through ducts. If the duct is damaged or leaking, it could mean that the heated warm air is not reaching where it should. So check all your ducts carefully.
Get Professional Help
It is true that with due diligence and care, you can solve most of the problems of your heating system. However, heating systems tend to be complex and difficult to repair. It would, therefore, be wise to call in a professional such as the ones over at facemyeracorlando.com to give it a thorough going over before the onset of winter.
A Warm Winter, A Safe Winter
If you choose to take care of your heating system by yourself, be sure to be careful. Wherever there are furnaces and fuel involved, there could be danger. So take all the precautions you can think of, and then some. This will not only ensure that your family stays warm but safe as well during the winter season.
The writer, Edrick Hypolite, is a do it yourself enthusiast who cares about helping to keep his family warm in winters and cool in summers, and thus has learned a number of tricks to do just that without breaking the bank. You can learn more about Edrick by visiting on Google+.