Once a heating system is installed in your home, you probably don’t give much thought to how it is performing unless something goes wrong. However, we think it’s important to keep your heater in mind as part of regular home maintenance—for your comfort and, more importantly, for your safety. Know that home, health, and heater are safe with these important HVAC safety tips.
Get Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Most homes have smoke detectors, but we find that the importance of carbon monoxide detectors is often overlooked. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, and unlike natural gas, you won’t be able to smell it or detect it otherwise, likely not until someone in the home gets sick. You should have carbon monoxide detectors near every area where people sleep.
Test Your Smoke and CO Detectors Regularly
Regular testing of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is an essential part of home safety—throughout the life of the units. As a guide:
- Test your CO and smoke detectors once a month.
- Change the batteries every 6 months (even if they’re still working).
- Replace smoke and CO detectors every 10 years.
Do Not Use Portable Heaters as a Primary Heating Source
In our area, some homes still don’t have central heating and cooling, so many use portable heaters as a backup. We’re here to warn against this practice, which can be dangerous. Unattended portable heaters are linked to fires, no matter how careful a homeowner may try to be. Plus, they cost a lot to run. Contact local installers about alternative options for whole-house heaters.
Use Proper Surge Protection
Heating and air conditioning systems use up a lot of energy, and have been known to cause power surges. More often, though, a power surge affects your heating and air conditioning systems, even if you don’t notice it happening. Small power surges can slowly zap the electrical components of a heater or air conditioner, leading to early system failure. This is why it’s so important to have proper surge protection in the home and for your systems.
Schedule Regular Maintenance
Most technicians recommend scheduling maintenance for your heating and air conditioning systems twice per year. If you’ve never done this before, this may seem like a lot, but you would be surprised how much wear and tear your heating and air conditioning equipment takes on in a year! Your technician will make some adjustments and check for any potential safety issues within your heater.
Only Call Qualified Technicians for an Installation or Service
Finally, it’s important that you never trust an amateur for a job that should be left up to professionals. This means that only someone trained on heating systems of all types should ever be trusted to install a new furnace or even tune-up an old one. Professionals can quickly spot safety risks and let you know if anything needs repair. When it comes to equipment that has the potential for gas leaks, carbon monoxide leaks, or fire, it’s not worth the risk.
Contact our team to schedule service for your HVAC in Farmington, NM. Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. is the right team for the job.