Furnace lifespans vary quite a bit, and as a homeowner, you have a ton of control over how long yours lasts. If you neglect your heating system and fail to provide it with a healthy environment, you may find yourself saddled with a big, unexpected expense sooner rather than later. However, if you establish proper upkeep habits and stay proactive about caring for your furnace, there’s no reason you can’t get a solid 15+ years from it.
1. Schedule Maintenance Every Year
Scheduled professional maintenance is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your furnace’s health. Bringing in an experienced technician to inspect and clean the system each year will ensure that it can perform efficiently, effectively, and without malfunctioning or breaking down.
On average, these professional tune-ups have been shown to add an extra 5 years to a furnace’s life. During that extra 5 years, you’ll have time to save some money and ensure that your household is prepared for the eventual replacement process. If you’re in the Shawnee, KS area, our experts at Air Care Heating & Cooling are always available to take care of this maintenance for you.
2. Get Your Ducts Cleaned and Inspected
Did you know that clogged or damaged air ducts can directly shorten your furnace’s life expectancy? When your ducts are losing heat or obstructing air circulation, it forces your heating system to work significantly harder to keep your home comfortable. Over time, that unnecessary stress will add up to take years off the appliance’s life and increase the likelihood of breakdowns. To combat this, all you need to do is have your ductwork cleaned and inspected every year or two.
3. Replace Your HVAC Air Filter
Letting your home’s HVAC filter linger after it gets dirty or clogged is very detrimental to furnace health. Not only will more contaminant particles cycle through the system and worsen its performance, but it will also become far more difficult for the furnace to circulate air. Your monthly energy bills will go up, your comfort will decrease, and your heating system will deteriorate more quickly.
If your household has a fiberglass filter, you’ll want to replace it roughly every 30 days. Pleated filters, on the other hand, will usually last about three times longer. Remember, air filters are cheap, but new furnaces are extremely expensive.
4. Seal Up Household Leaks
The more heat that’s escaping from your home regularly, the more work your furnace must do to compensate for it. Your heating unit can only strain itself so much before it starts to have problems or decline, so it’s crucial to minimize household air leaks. These leaks are typically found around the outer edges of doors and windows, and even if you can’t see them, they can still make things hard on your furnace.
To find them, try feeling around doors and windows with your hand to see if there’s any noticeable air movement. If you find any leaks, it’s important that you thoroughly seal them, regardless of their size. All you’ll need is some caulking and weather stripping from your local hardware store.
5. Install Attic Insulation
To ensure that your furnace isn’t being overworked, it’s imperative to have a barrier between your living space and your attic. Heat floats upwards naturally, so if there’s nothing in place to stop it, a large portion of the warmth in your home will rise to the top of the house. Much of that heat will likely escape through your roofing, and the rest will simply linger in your attic. As a result, the lower parts of your household won’t be getting sufficient warmth, and you’ll have to leave your heating system running longer just to get comfortable.
Although it’s fairly expensive and needs to be installed by a professional, spray foam insulation is the most effective type of insulation to purchase. It’s long-lasting, waterproof, and supremely effective at trapping heat.
Since 1981, our team at Air Care Heating & Cooling has provided quality heating and cooling services to the greater Shawnee area. In addition to those services, our trained experts can handle your indoor air quality and water heater needs as well. When the Kansas weather gets hot and humid or freezing cold, our customers know they can count on us to keep them comfortable. We let our services speak for themselves, and we always hold ourselves accountable with every job. Call us at Air Care Heating & Cooling to learn more about what we do!
