How to Increase the Longevity of Your Philadelphia Heating Unit

Depending on the type of central heating unit you have in your Philadelphia home, there are a number of things that can be done in order to increase the durability of that system. Three of the most common central heating systems are furnaces, heat pumps and boilers. Here are some tips on heating unit maintenance that will help to increase the longevity of these systems and keep your home warm throughout the Philadelphia winter.

Furnaces

Arguably the most common type of central heating system is a furnace, which produces heated air from ducts that run throughout your house. Furnaces can be powered by fuel oil, electricity or natural gas in order to convert cold air to the warm air you need during the wintertime. In order to keep these systems running optimally, have your ServiceWhale HVAC technician regularly inspect the furnace itself as well as the ductwork for efficiency and areas of concern.

For the furnace, the motor, blower, and filter system should all be cleaned out to remove dirt, which can cause your system to run inefficiently. Additionally, by ensuring that your ducts are not leaking and wasting heated air, your home will be heated properly. By addressing issues early on and increasing the efficiency of the heating unit, it won’t have to work as hard to produce warm air, which will put less stress on the system and possibly increase its lifespan.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are pretty neat devices, as they act as a two-way AC (air conditioner) unit. During the summertime, the heat pump works to remove heat from the inside of your home. But when the temperature outside drops, the heat pump will reverse its actions and deliver warm air from the outside to inside your home via ductwork, much like a furnace.

Unlike a furnace, many heat pumps have an indoor and an outdoor unit that need to be inspected. By removing debris from around the outdoor unit and oiling the motor, air intake will be less stressful on the system. The indoor unit should be inspected by a professional HVAC technician, where the filter should be changed regularly and connections should be checked.

Boilers

Because boilers can be expensive to have replaced or repaired, it is important to have this heating system inspected annually by a professional to increase its longevity. Heating unit maintenance for these systems can be more involved as they use water in order to distribute heat through radiators, as opposed to treated air through ductwork. This is why it is important to hire a professional to help you with maintenance.

If your boiler’s pressure gauge reads low, or the flame is not a bright blue, there could be an issue with your system. Radiators should not be colder at the top, but if yours is, this could indicate trapped air, in which case the radiators will need to be “bled.” Clearing the space around your boiler can also increase efficiency, much like the outdoor heat pump unit. Your ServiceWhale professional will be able to help you with all of this and more, in order to increase the life of your heating unit.

Use ServiceWhale today to learn more about how you can get instant quotes from local Philadelphia HVAC contractors.