Essential Heating System Maintenance
By: Oliver Marks
Published: September 24, 2009
Getting
your home’s heating system professionally serviced every year will keep
it running smoothly and help keep heating costs under control.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is usually a good rule—except when
it comes to your heating system. Even if it’s humming along just fine,
having a technician take it apart once a year to clean the lines and
filters and give it a thorough inspection is absolutely essential.
Regular servicing reduces the risk of breakdowns and prolongs the
unit’s life. Plus, it saves you money: For every year of maintenance
you skip, energy bills jump 5% to 10% because of reduced efficiency.
Here’s the lowdown on heating system maintenance.
Who does the job?
The simplest way to get the work done is to hire your fuel company
to do it. Oil companies and gas utilities usually provide this service,
or you can hire the contractor who installed the equipment. Also, some
plumbers handle heating systems.
What is involved?
The technician will clean soot and corrosion out of the combustion
chamber where the fuel is burned, and check it for leaks or damage.
He’ll inspect the flue pipe for open seams, clogs, or corrosion that
could cause carbon monoxide to backdraft into the house. He’ll replace
the filters on oil and forced-air systems. Finally, he’ll test the
exhaust from your cleaned machine and use the information to adjust the
burner for maximum efficiency.
How much will it cost?
You’ll pay between $100 and $180 for the service, depending largely
on whether you have a gas system, which is easier to maintain, or oil,
which requires a fair amount of soot removal. Usually the cost is
covered by an annual maintenance contract that also provides 24-hour
emergency service. While the technician is there, he should also
service your water heater, assuming it has a separate oil or gas burner.
When is the best time to do the work?
Ideally, have your system tuned up in the fall so it’s in top shape
for the start of the heating season. Of course, that’s when technicians
are the busiest, so if you can’t do it when you want, do it when you
can—as long as your system is serviced once a year. And don’t expect
your provider to call to remind you that it’s time. Even if you
subscribe to an annual service plan, you still need to call to make an
appointment. Call in the spring or summer to be sure of getting on the
schedule in the fall.
A former carpenter and newspaper reporter, Oliver Marks has been
writing about home improvements for 16 years. He’s currently restoring
his second fixer-upper with a mix of big hired projects and small
do-it-himself jobs.
Whether
you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just
want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to
check out a couple of great online resources: http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or http://www.har.com/ and for all of your Pearland TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at http://www.danfrankrealty.com/. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.
Danny Frank is a local Pearland TX Real Estate expert! You can see my entire blog at http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com
Reprinted
from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.