The weather is warming up, although we can expect to have a few more cold days come our way through the spring. It isn’t time to shut off your heater for mid-year.
Not yet. But it is the time to consider your heater’s future based on how well it performed over this last winter.
You never want to let a major furnace breakdown sneak up on you. It’s better to replace an ailing furnace before it has a chance to trap you in an unheated home.
To help you get a better understanding of how well your furnace is currently doing, we want you to try this thought experiment: give your furnace a grade (“A” through “F”) for how well it performed over the previous winter.
Below, we’ll examine what these grades may mean for your furnace’s future and what steps you might need to take, like furnace replacement or furnace repair in Yakima, WA.
“A”
If you gave your furnace the top grade possible, then you’re probably in good shape for the next couple of winters. The furnace did its job, never needed repairs, and kept your heating bills steadily at where you expected them. If you gave your furnace an “A”, we imagine you had maintenance scheduled for it in fall. Keep it up! Maintenance will continue to help your furnace get more “A”s in the future and enjoy a long service life.
“B”
You thought your furnace did a good job over the winter, but you aren’t too enthusiastic about it overall. Maybe you noticed some unusual behavior, like shutting off too early, or the temperature went through fluctuations that didn’t also meet your comfort needs. These problems often come from skipped maintenance, so please dedicate yourself to always having this service done. You may wish to schedule an inspection for some of the other issues you noticed, as they may hide bigger problems.
“C”
Now we’re moving into the more troubling area. Your furnace may have delivered heat for you this summer, but it also fell behind in several ways. This is the rating you might give your furnace if you needed to have it repaired at some point or if you’ve seen a rise in heating costs or a drop in your comfort. The furnace is working, it’s just not working well. If this is an older furnace (around 15 years), it’s time to consider a replacement. Otherwise, it’s time to call for repairs.
“D”
No question about it, your furnace is a problem. It failed at some point or needed significant repairs. You’re paying too much to run it during the winter, and you don’t feel confident that it will turn on when you need it to. This means you either need to schedule a major repair for it or have it replaced. The older the furnace, the more likely it’s the second option.
“F”
Your furnace isn’t working, and you don’t trust it to work. It may have created a safety hazard, or it’s more than 20 years old. If you feel honest enough to give your furnace a failing grade, you definitely need to contact us to arrange for a replacement unit.