COLORADO SPRINGS — As the cooler months approach and temperatures begin to drop, more people are beginning to turn furnaces on to heat their home. A local company is reminding people to make sure appliances are working before relying them for the season.
Andrew Van Wyk is an HVAC service manager at WireNut Home Services, and he says it's recommended to check your appliances now, before it's too late. He also said now is the time when many people are calling the business to get their annual preventative maintenance done, while others are calling because their heaters aren't working properly.
"As you'd imagine, a lot of people turning it on for the first time, turn their heat on and realize something's not working, something's not right," said Van Wyk. "A lot of people in Colorado don't have air conditioners so they haven't been using AC, and don't realize there's an issue with the furnace."
Van Wyk says the first thing you should do to prepare your home for winter is check the air filter.
"If you can fit your thumb between the pleats on the filter, than it's probably not too restricted. If they're too close together, like accordian style too close, then it's probably stopping too much air flow," said Van Wyk. "Whenever there is an issue, whenever the filter is dirty, it traps that heat in there, and it will shut the furnace down and basically overheat, just like a car engine will do."
He also recommends that air filters are checked and changed every 30 days, and that preventive maintenance inspections on appliances are done annually.
"We don't want people to have breakdowns, we want to make sure that the system is going to run, just like a vehicle, it needs a check," said Van Wyk.
An inspection and maintenance checks done early on can also give you enough time to fix the problem before winter arrives.
Be sure to check your water heater for any leaks or pressure issues. You can also put a water heater blanket around it to keep more heat inside. Perform maintenance checks on gas fireplaces as well.
