We have a chilly winter ahead of us, as we do each and every year. You probably can’t even imagine going a day without a heater in your home. A broken down heater means discomfort for your family, and potentially even health hazards for those who are vulnerable to freezing temperatures.
That being said, you’ve hopefully already had your heating system tuned-up. If not, now is the time to schedule this Oklahoma City, OK heating service. Regardless of whether you’ve had it maintained, however, there are other things you can do to prevent your heater from wearing out this winter.
Takes Steps to Allow Your Heater a Break
There’s no reason to stop using your heater altogether when it’s freezing outside. That wouldn’t make sense. But there are certainly steps you can take toward preventing your heater from becoming too overworked, and subsequently breaking down. For instance, you can:
- Have Air Leaks Sealed: Air loss can occur from drafty doors and windows, or even from breached ductwork if you have a forced air heater. Using weather stripping or caulk where appropriate can prevent heat loss through your doors and windows. As for your ducts, give our highly trained and experienced technicians a call. We’ll check to see if perhaps you’re in need of duct repair, or even replacement.
- Insulate Your Attic: Heat rises, and once it approaches your attic, it escapes from there. You can make it a little harder for this to occur by properly insulating your attic. Doing so allows your heater to reach your desired temperature faster, and therefore not work as hard.
- Change Your Air Filter: This should be done at least every 3 months. Although, for homes with significant airborne contaminants, it should be done even more often than this.
- Turn Down Your Thermostat: We understand the urge to turn your thermostat up as high as it will go when you get home on an extremely cold day. But this actually does not help your home heat up any faster, and in fact is actually an inefficient use of your heater.
- Close Your Fireplace Damper: Do you have a fireplace? Make sure you open the damper in the chimney before you use it, and close it afterwards. This keeps heat from escaping through the chimney.
At Comfort Incorporated, we keep your family safe, healthy and comfortable–call today, service today!
