You and your family need to stay warm in winter. While stoking up a nice camp fire works well on a camping trip, the easiest way to make sure your home stays warm is by using your heating system. Whether you have a furnace, a boiler or a heat pump, your heating system is a very complex piece of machinery. This brief guide will hopefully help you better understand your heating system, how to keep it up and running and when you need to call an expert. Here are just a few of the elements involved in running your heating system:
Thermostat – Usually located on your wall, this device allows you to choose the temperature you’d like the house to be. In the winter you will likely set it warmer than the outside, but still cooler than it would be in summer. Finding the right temperature for your family is key to not only providing warmth, but also maximizing your energy efficiency. If your current thermostat is an older, manual style, you may consider replacing your thermostat with a programmable model to help you easily regulate and control the temperature of your home and to help you save money.- Heater Exchanger – This is the part of a furnace actual device that heats the air in your home. It can be gas or electric powered and warms the air. By itself it does do a good job of warming, but it doesn’t spread the air throughout the house or control the temperature well.
- Blower – This is the same air mover that is used in the summer to blow cold air around the house. This device moves the air through the vents and around your home allowing it to warm up evenly throughout the rooms.
- Filter – Somewhere in the blower or air handler there is a space to use a filter. The filter removes impurities from the air and assures you and your family breathes clean air. Filters should be changed frequently to help your system provide optimal performance.
- Ductwork – An integral piece of your system the ductwork is what carries the air throughout your system. This ductwork will be located either in the attic or under your house in the crawlspace or slab. If you find that one section of your house struggles to stay warm, it may be a good idea to have a professional come and inspect your ductwork to be sure there are no gas or disconnected lines.
- Vents – You likely have two types of vents around your house which are directly connected to your ductwork. There are intake vents and standard vents. The intake vents, or returns, allow the old stale air to be recycled and the standard vents are where the warm air will flow from to keep you warm and cozy. These may be in the ceiling or in the floor and should be kept free from any obstruction. To help save in the winter, consider closing vents in rooms that are not often occupied.
Now that you know a little bit more about your heater, you should be more motivated than ever to keep it in good operating condition. You can also check out our post of 5 HVAC Maintenance Tips to help keep your system running strong. If you find that you run into issues you just can’t solve, let the experts at A-1 American help you. Our team of knowledgeable and hard working professionals can work with you on ongoing maintenance as well as needed repairs to make certain you get the service you need when you need it. Call or contact us today.
