Depending on where you live, you probably do several things to prepare for the winter months. To prepare for freezing temperatures, you probably winterize outside pipes and hoses to keep them from getting damaged and add necessary fluids to your car to deal with cold temperatures. You probably also go into the attic or closet and swap out your summer clothes for your jackets, pants, and sweaters. Why do you do these things in the fall instead of after winter begins? It makes more sense to get yourself and your house ready before it gets cold. Likewise, it also makes sense to ensure that your furnace is ready for winter before you need to rely on it. Fall is the best time for regular furnace maintenance.

Routine maintenance in the fall will ensure that your furnace is in good working order before the cooling season. Most experts agree that your furnace should last about 20 years. With proper maintenance and care, however, you could extend the life of your system and keep it running for many more years. Autumn is the best time for routine maintenance on your furnace to ensure that it lasts for several winters. However, aside from extended equipment life, fall furnace maintenance has many other benefits. Let’s take a look at some reasons for getting regular fall service.

Fewer Costly Repairs

Fall furnace maintenance can save you from the hassle of inconvenient breakdowns and costly repairs. If your furnace stops working during the winter, you will be left out in the cold, literally. You can be in for costly repairs and a miserable experience when this happens. During the course of regular use, your furnace can experience small cracks, leaks, loose connections, and other minor issues. At first, many of these problems can go unnoticed as they probably won’t cause a malfunction. If left unresolved, however, these minor problems could develop into larger issues over time and lead to equipment failure and expensive repairs.

During your fall furnace tune-up, a professional technician will inspect your equipment and identify and correct any issues before they become bigger problems. The cost of regular maintenance can be significantly less than the cost of equipment repair.

Safety

When the cold temperatures set in, you will probably crank the heat up to create a cozy, warm environment inside. When you turn your furnace on, you’ll want to make sure that it works and that it is safe to operate. If you don’t perform seasonal maintenance, there could be potential safety hazards that could have serious consequences. Blocked vents, a cracked heat exchanger, or dirty burners could have consequences that impact the health safety of your family and home. If these issues aren’t addressed, carbon monoxide leaks could lead to health problems, and faulty equipment could pose a fire risk. Fall maintenance will allow an HVAC technician to do a complete and thorough check of your equipment to ensure it is clean and safe for operation in the winter months.

Lower Energy Bills

By keeping up with regular fall maintenance, you will have a furnace that runs at peak efficiency. Small issues and dirt buildup that occurs over time can impact the efficiency of your equipment. These things can cause your furnace to work harder and expend more energy to heat your home. If your furnace isn’t efficient, your energy usage will increase along with your utility bills. Regular seasonal maintenance can address any efficiency issues before the winter arrives and make the cooling season less expensive. Studies have shown that routine maintenance can save homeowners up to 20 percent on their energy bills.

The fall is a great time to have your furnace serviced to address any issues with safety and efficiency before it gets really cold. Regular maintenance will ensure that your furnace will deliver reliably warm air all season long.