Ensure Your Heating System Is Ready for the Winter Cold

With the temperatures already dropping, now is the perfect time to make sure your heating system, whether it’s a gas or oil furnace, heat pump or boiler, is ready for the winter cold. Regular maintenance can go a long way toward extending the lifespan of your HVAC system and helping you avoid making a dreaded service call in the middle of the night.

The last thing you want is your heating system to be on the fritz right when you really need it. And in Virginia, when the average winter temperature can be as low as 20 degrees in some regions, it can be downright dangerous to go without heat for a night.

Although there’s no substitute for professional annual tune-ups performed by experienced heating professionals like those at Bogue Oil, there are still some rudimentary preventative maintenance tasks you can perform yourself.

Change Your Filters – Even if you’ve recently cleaned your air filters or checked them for clogs, you should still replace them before the season shifts to help ensure your unit runs at peak performance and the air quality in your home or business is clean and healthy.

Check For Blockage – Hold your hands up to the vents and confirm there is proper and even air flow escaping from each one. If there’s not, it could be an indication of blockage or ductwork problems, which will run up energy bills due to your unit having to work harder to maintain your desired temperature.

Clear Debris from Outdoor Units – If your HVAC unit is outdoors, check to make sure there’s roughly two to three feet of cleared space around it. Additionally, you should remove loose sticks, leaves, grass and any other debris if it’s on top of or even inside the unit itself.

Calibrate Your Thermostat – When your unit is running, grab one or two separate thermometers and take temperatures of the rooms in your home. If they’re significantly different than the temperature reading on your thermostat, you may need to calibrate your thermostat.

Make Sure Your Heat Works – This seems obvious, but if you don’t make sure your heater is working before you need it, you will leave yourself vulnerable to finding out at the worst possible time. Turn on your heat and walk around your home making sure even, effective warm air is flowing in each room.

Keep Your Ears and Nose Open – When you first turn the heater on, listen for any odd noises or smells. You might notice a burning smell when you first turn it on which is normal – dust that’s collected on the internal components heats up and emits a burning smell – but if it continues or gets worse contact an HVAC professional immediately.

Performing your own regular maintenance can be beneficial for the performance and longevity of your HVAC unit, but the best thing you can do is have an HVAC expert inspect the unit and perform any repairs that may be necessary before it’s too late. The professionals at Bogue Oil Co. do more than just deliver heating oil, we also offer exceptional furnace and heater maintenance and repair services. We would be happy to help you save money this season and keep you running warm. Contact us by calling (757) 855-6251 or by requesting service today.