November, 2013 byAlma Abell

As winter approaches each year, it can be important for homeowners to have a repair person from a Heating contractor At Eastside Heating & Air Conditioning come to their home to inspect their heating system to ensure that it is not in need repairs and ready for the colder temperatures that the following months will bring. While there are some maintenance tasks a homeowner my be able to handle on his or her own, it can still be a good idea to have a professional handle the work, as they can give the unit a thorough inspection. Often this can result in repair issues being discovered before they cause a significant problem.

A technician will generally first want to check the thermostat on the unit and make sure it is working properly. They can do this by using a secondary temperature gauge such as an infrared thermostat gun and then comparing it to the temperature reading on the thermostat. If these two do not match, the thermostat will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Once the thermostat is tested, the Heating contractor At Eastside Heating & Air Conditioning will need to inspect the burner on the system. Many times the burner can be checked for problems just by looking at the color of the flames it produces. If flames are blue and steady then the unit is operating properly. If the flames are yellow or orange and flickering, the burner may be dirty can the unit is not getting enough air to operate properly. A repair person will need to spend time cleaning the burner and the burner tubes on the unit if this is the case.

The blower on the system can also become very dirty as well. Having a dirty system not only can be dangerous in some cases but it can cause the unit to operate much harder, which can decrease the length of time the unit will be in operation. In addition, dirty units require more power to operate and this can have a direct impact on the energy costs for the home. Cleaning the blower system is the best way to keep the unit clean. The filter will need to be inspected and replaced if it is dirty. The blower should be vacuumed out, both inside and out using a shop or home vacuum cleaner. Vents or grilles should be cleaned with a stiff brush.