While winter temperatures in Atlanta often dip to 0°F, it gets no warmer in summer than a mild 90 degrees; in other words, an HVAC failure past December can be far worse than one in July. A thorough servicing ahead of winter is the best way to make sure that you never suffer a miserable heatless day.
Timing the service call for your HVAC system in the fall is an excellent idea for other reasons, as well.
You get to prevent poor function and life-threatening problems
Furnaces and the radiators that they are connected to can get clogged with dirt and produce uneven heating. Thermostats can become faulty, and more worryingly, heat exchangers can develop cracks, a major cause of concern in any home.
Cracks can allow poisonous carbon monoxide, a byproduct of the combustion process, to leak into the living areas of a house, a serious risk. While the government does try to perform inspections on residential furnaces each year, these attempts tend to not be thorough. The responsibility to ensure furnace safety rests primarily on the homeowner. Calling in a qualified tech ahead of lighting your furnace for the first time is an excellent idea.
You get to retain more control in the lean season
It’s understandable why people tend to put off getting their HVAC systems checked — they tend to be afraid that a pro who comes in might recommend costly repairs. If it’s cost that you are worried about, though, you need to remember about what is said of an ounce of prevention versus a pound of cure. Not only are repairs far cheaper when you catch faults early, you get to perform them to your schedule. If a failure were to catch you unawares in the middle of winter, on the other hand, you would need to find funds immediately.
HVAC techs tend to be extremely busy through winter; the best, most trusted and most affordable 24-hour HVAC repair techs tend to be swamped. Timing your HVAC service call for fall each year, the lean season, can mean getting your pick of them.
Preventive maintenance goes a long way
It’s important to understand that most HVAC service calls tend to involve nothing greater than simple, inexpensive work. Right before the months that you plan to work your HVAC system hard, it helps immensely to locate all moving parts such as fans and blowers, and lubricate them; to clean every vent and radiator, check out the thermostat and tighten all electrical contacts. Doing so prevents rust, and ensures longer life. It’s an excellent way to make sure you never see an expensive HVAC bill.
