It is hard to imagine trying to live through our icy Canadian winters without heat. If you live here, and you stay through the winter, a furnace is a must!
Owning a furnace can be a complicated affair however. After all, your furnace doesn’t just represent a toasty warm winter abode.
It can also send your budget into orbit. Winter heating bills and major furnace repairs and outages are some of the most unpleasant furnace-related surprises, but the most unpleasant is fire.
Every year, furnaces right here in Canada cause home and workplace fires that damage property and devastate lives.
In this post, learn how to make sure this never happens to you. At Shipton’s Heating & Cooling in Hamilton, our HVAC experts can help you understand how to run your furnace safe throughout the upcoming winter months.
P.S. At the end, find out how you can save BIG on furnace maintenance and even WIN a new furnace!
The Link Between COVID and HVAC Maintenance
It is no fun to turn on the news each day and hear that we’ve had another record day for COVID-19 cases.
Yes, a vaccine appears to be in the works., but it isn’t here yet and people are still getting very sick every single day.
The silver lining in all this is how much we have learned about how COVID-19 spreads.
We know aerosol airborne transmission is a huge threat. We also know indoor air quality is one of our best defences against transmission.
And we know that winter, with its cold temperatures and dry air, is the most dangerous time for new infections.
Now what? How do we put this information to good protective use?
Step 1. Clean Your Furnace
There is no easy way to say this. If your furnace is dirty, your lungs are dirty.
How can you know if your furnace is dirty? The answer is simple.
When was the last time you can recall cleaning your furnace? We don’t just mean changing the furnace filter, although that is very important. We are talking about actually getting inside and cleaning the furnace components – fan blades, belts, coils and blower motor.
Every fall, around this time, we start to get calls from customers concerned about that signature “burning smell” of a furnace powering on for the first time all year.
There are several reasons your furnace might smell like it is burning. All are serious. A burning smell could indicate everything from a faulty pilot light to a failing safety sensor to an overheating circuit board.
What you need to know now is that a burning smell always indicates that maintenance and cleaning is needed. You don’t want to just assume that as the smell fades your furnace is good to go. It isn’t. It is dirty and needs attention.
Do you need your furnace cleaned this winter? Contact Shipton’s Heating & Cooling in Hamilton and one of our expert furnace technicians can install, clean and service your furnace needs!
Step 2. Change Your Furnace Filter
When our Shipton’s technicians do preventative furnace maintenance, cleaning and minor repair service calls, changing the furnace filter is part of the service.
We are happy to visit you monthly in order to change out your furnace filter if you or a loved one is immune-compromised and don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Whether we do it for you or you do it yourself though, you need to put it on your calendar to change your furnace filter at least every 30 days all winter long.
Just like your nose and airways are like “pre-filters” for your lungs, the furnace filter is like a gatekeeper to protect your furnace itself.
The more debris, dust and dirt the filter traps, the less that will make its way inside the furnace, out through your ducts and into your own lungs.
Step 3. Consider Adding Indoor Air Quality Aids
Did you know Shipton’s in Hamilton also offers a full line of indoor air quality products and services?
We now know that ultraviolet air purification and HEPA filtration can provide a great degree of protection against airborne aerosol transmission of active COVID-19 virus droplets.
Humidifiers and heat recovery ventilators are the tools of choice to add back COVID-fighting humidity and boost fresh air content inside your space.
And duct cleaning and media air cleaners can give you an overnight boost (literally!) in indoor air quality before you upgrade to any of these tools, equipment or appliances.
Step 4. Invest in a New Furnace
Is your furnace more than a decade old? Does it have a SEER rating lower than 15? Is it missing a programmable thermostat?
Does it churn out dust as fast as you can wipe it away?
Is it making strange noises or emitting odd odours? How about your winter energy bills – are you increasingly unhappy about your bottom line each month?
These are all potential warning signs that your existing furnace may be ready to be replaced.
It is true that this represents a major expense and investment, but there are also savings to be considered when you upgrade your furnace.
You will likely pay less in monthly energy bills, get noticeably cleaner indoor air, enhance your home’s resale value and potentially get a discount on your homeowner’s insurance.
If you choose to upgrade this month, you could even get your shiny new furnace for FREE at Shipton’s Heating & Cooling in Hamilton.
WIN a FREE Furnace! And Save on Furnace Maintenance
You read that right! During our traditional fall Golden Savings event, you can WIN a FREE furnace, air conditioner, combo unit, boiler or hot water heater. You can also enter to win up to $1,000 off the same.
Furnace working fine?
Save big with our Furnace Tune-Up Discount Days going on now at Shipton’s! Trim up to 20 percent off the cost of routine furnace maintenance. The first 25 appointments will also receive a free furnace filter and installation of the same.
Contact Our Friendly, Professional Hamilton, Ontario HVAC Specialists
Shipton’s Heating and Cooling has been serving the Hamilton, Ontario, area for nearly a century!
We stand ready to serve your routine, repair, installation and emergency HVAC needs with safe, contact-less service, invoicing and payment options. Just give our expert HVAC technicians a call at 1-905-549-4616 or visit us online.
