Tune Ups
The average furnace or boiler in BC operates for over 1500 hours a year. To put this in perspective, if you drove your car for 1500 hours at a constant speed of 50km/h, you would travel for 75,000km. And what would you expect to happen if you tried to drive your car for 75,000 km without performing any maintenance? You would expect to find yourself stranded on the side of the road!
Like a car, a heating system has many parts that gradually wear out, suffer from build up of dirt and grime, and require lubrication or adjustment. Since so many home owners do not perform regular maintenance, it’s no wonder why so many find their system breaking down year after year.
Reasons to tune up your heating system
1. Prevents breakdowns and increases reliability.
By keeping parts clean, well lubricated, and properly adjusted they will last longer and suffer fewer unexpected breakdowns. Parts that regularly wear out can be replaced before they fail, at a lower expense and without the inconvenience of a repair call.
Taking care of your furnace between winters decreases the chances that it will break down during the winter, when heating companies are booked solid and it is difficult to get service.
One study estimated that 9 out of 10 heating & air conditioning system breakdowns are caused by dirt and dust. Heating system repairs can often be very costly and inconvenient, but most of them can be prevented just by keeping your system clean!
2. Reduced Energy Consumption
A dirty filter makes a furnaces fan work harder and burn more energy.
Misadjusted gas valves and burners can result in too much gas being released, wasting energy and releasing poisonous carbon monoxide gas.
An excessively dirty heat exchanger can prevent heat from entering the air and result in wasted energy.
These are just three ways that poorly maintained equipment can increase your heating costs by up to 20%.
3. Reduced risk of house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning
Every year in North America more than 1700 people die from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning and over 10,000 are treated or hospitalized. Faulty heating systems are also one of the major causes of house fires (1).
The BC Safety Authority says: “Home heating appliances… should be inspected annually and cleaned as often as necessary by licenced contractors to prevent fires and reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning… While a CSA approved carbon monoxide detector in your home is an added safety measure, the best solution is regular appliance maintenance.” (2)
4. Increased system performance
Well maintained heating equipment ensures that your system is capable of delivering the maximum amount of heat, with the minimum amount of noise.
5. Lengthened system life
Well maintained equipment lasts longer. It reduces your chances of experiencing major breakdowns earlier than you should, and slows down the process of the unit deteriorating until its no longer worth repairing.
6. Keeps your system warranty valid
All major furnace manufacturers require regular maintenance or their warranty is void.
According to BC Hydro “regular maintenance can go a long way to increasing the comfort, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency of your home heating.” (3)
Our Super Tune Up includes everything that is necessary to ensure that your system operates at its optimal energy efficiency, reliability, and effectiveness for the rest of the year. Good Guys Heating Cooling & Plumbing invests in training our tune up technicians to ensure they have all the skills necessary to do so.
To schedule a tune up, call 604 GOOD GUY (466 3489) or use our online Schedule Tune Up form.
SPECIAL OFFER: SAVE $40 OFF YOUR FIRST TUNE UP
If you have never had Good Guys Heating Cooling & Plumbing perform maintenance on your furnace, boiler, air conditioner, or heat pump before, we’ll give you a special discount just for trying us out! Please contact our office for details. Repeat customers can save by signing up for a club membership.