Northern Colorado Furnace Repair Tips

The following is a guest post contributed by one of this blog’s partners.

It can be extremely difficult to live with cold weather and frigid temperatures in Northern Colorado, especially when you’re in need of Fort Collins furnace repair. For this reason a significant number of people invest in high-quality heating systems for their homes.

There are a broad range of heating appliances on today’s market, from large HVAC systems–which control air conditioning in the summer, heating in the winter and ventilation year round–to smaller, radiant heat units that mount on an interior wall of the home. Alternatives to such systems include ductless or split AC units or heat pumps. Although their names may imply otherwise, the latter two appliances function efficiently for both heating and cooling the interior of a building.

Nevertheless, some type of regular service is required for virtually every system. This is why most homeowners avail themselves of residential furnace service, which should be completed on an annual basis on any type of central HVAC or heating unit.

Why Servicing Your Furnace is Important

The majority of manufacturers recommend that a furnace be serviced and cleaned in early winter or late autumn, prior to its hardest use.

One reason such furnaces get dirty is because they are typically only used for a few months a year. Unfortunately, dirt and dust negatively affects various components of a heating and cooling system; however, electronic components are the ones that typically sustain the worst wear and tear.

Electronic parts such as transistors and capacitors generate heat. Grime, dirt and dust prevent this heat from properly dissipating, and it is this action that eventually leads to the premature failure of such components.

The professionals at Swan Heating & Air Conditioning can help you avoid this problem by testing the electronic system of your heating unit for damaged or weak components, and cleaning the appliance with professional formulas.

Servicing HVAC Systems Contributes to Safety

HVAC systems and similar units must run throughout the year, and as you may have suspected, this can lead to certain negative issues. The majority of HVAC units have a component called a combustion chamber, which is generally located in close proximity to the air exchanger. Because of where these parts are placed, dust collects within the chamber.

Under normal circumstances, the accumulation of dirt may not pose a major threat to the efficiency of the unit overall, but if dust and grime pile up within the furnace, it can cause a flammable reaction. Yearly cleaning of the combustion chamber ensures that it is free of dirt and dust and ready to effectively fight the cold winter chill.

Another good reason to invest in yearly servicing is the unit’s ignition system. Most furnace models have two potential ignition sources: an electronic ignition that starts the flame or a simple pilot light.

When to Repair a Furnace, or Replace It?

It is an unfortunate reality that no furnace will function forever, regardless of the number of times it is serviced or repaired. If the appliance fails entirely, then it is important to replace it with a new model that will function well for many future years.

In many cases, it is the constant wear and tear of the metal from which the unit is made that leads to the system’s demise. This is because it must repeatedly cool and heat the home, thus allowing corrosion to occur on metal parts, particularly if the furnace is a component of a larger HVAC system. Condensation often coagulates on the AC portion of an HVAC unit, and this moisture enhances the corrosion’s damaging effects.

To learn more about furnace service and maintenance, contact a professional at Swan Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. today.

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