Signs That Your Furnace Needs Cleaning
In the cold Colorado winters, a furnace is essential to keeping your house warm and comfortable for you and your family. As a furnace works over time, it can accumulate dirt and debris that can make it work harder and less effectively to heat your home. Learn the signs that your furnace needs a professional cleaning right away.
Check Your Air Filters
If the air filters in your HVAC unit are loaded with dust and dirt, clean thoroughly or replace if it’s time. Disposable furnace filters need to be changed every 2 to 3 months, depending on the size and type you have. However, permanent furnace filters can actually be cleaned with water and can be reused and reinserted once it is fully dried. But with this, you will still need to keep an eye out frequently. If you find a consistent frequency of dirty filters, it may be a telltale sign that your furnace needs a cleaning. Dirty air ducts post a health risk and will negatively impact your indoor air quality. In addition, a dirty unit will provide insufficient air flow, and not perform as optimally as it should.
Are Your Energy Bills Spiking?
Check your monthly energy bills and see what the cost is, and notice if it has been higher than normal recently. Many energy providers will give you a chart or graph of what your previous months’ energy costs were (if not, take note of those costs yourself). If the cost of your energy bills are suddenly rising and the furnace is not being used any more frequently than usual, chances are high your furnace is using more energy than it should because of high levels of dirt and dust. A clean furnace will help to provide higher energy efficiency, and lower energy costs.
Check The Color Of Your Furnace Flames
When your natural gas furnace is running, look through and note the flame color that you see. A furnace running in good, clean shape has flames that resemble a blue color. If the flames you see are yellow or orange, it is likely that the burner or the flame sensor is dirty. Observing this should lead to you contacting us at Comfort By Design for a professional cleaning right away, as ignoring this can lead to a possible carbon monoxide leak.
By monitoring your furnace, and keeping up with professionally provided annual furnace cleaning, as well as annual furnace maintenance, you can help ensure your HVAC system is running in peak condition throughout the winter. Call 1-719-374-1776 to schedule a professional furnace cleaning with Comfort By Design’s experienced technician or contact us via our email form with any questions and we’ll help as soon as possible.