6 Tips from HVAC Specialists to Get Heating Systems Ready for Fall

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Not that anyone wants to admit it but Canadian summers are short and fall is just around the corner—meaning it is nearly the time to get your heating system ready for fall. As your HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we’ve put together 6 great tips to help you through this relatively-painless process of helping get your heating system ready for fall:

1. Check your Insulation
Insulation isn’t permanent. It can shift, settle, crumble and be overall less-than-awesome. To ensure that your heating system is working optimally and your home isn’t losing valuable (economically and environmentally) heat and energy, be sure to check your insulation every fall.

2. Look for Air Leaks
We’d all love to heat the great outdoors during the winter and warm it up a few degrees but the only things air leaks in your home will affect is the size of your energy bill and the overworking of your heating unit. So look for air leaks in your heating unit and around your home.

3. Change the Batteries in your Thermostat
Batteries in the thermostat are rarely high-up on your agenda, but running a heating unit with an improperly functioning thermostat is like trying to row a boat without paddles. Change the batteries to get your heating system ready for fall.

4. Clean your Ducts
Ducts only distribute air properly when they are clean. As an added bonus clean ducts can save you tons on energy costs. Have your ducts cleaned every fall to prep your home for the heating demands of fall and winter.

5. Change your Air Filter
You’ll notice that in almost every piece of HVAC advice, as your HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville, we offer we recommend changing your air filters. This is because we cannot stress it enough and we can’t count how many times we have seen dirtier-than-dirt air filters in homes. To be ready for fall debris and particles—change your air filter.

6. Check your Carbon Monoxide Detector
Carbon monoxide detector installation and checks are on the priority list somewhere between changing the batteries in your thermostat and cleaning out your garage. Just kidding—it is rarely on any list at all. But fall and winter brings carbon monoxide emissions thanks to us cranking up out heating systems, furnaces, fireplaces, stoves and other gas-using appliances—so ensure you have a functional carbon monoxide detector.

To help you check for leaks and clean your ducts, call Furnace King, your HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville. We’ll ensure you’re prepared AND help you reduce your overall heating bills this fall and winter.

The Value of Changing the Air Filters in your HVAC System

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Here at Furnace King, HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville, we are regularly asked by our customers about the importance of changing the air filters in your HVAC system—our simple answer, very. Air quality is important to health, to breathing ability, to allergies and to a good night’s sleep, and there is no more important air quality than that in your home. Especially given that the EPA has stated that indoor air quality is usually 70% more polluted than outdoor—and most of us spend over 80% of our lives indoors. This is why the EPA has ranked indoor air quality in the top five risks for public health.

So, how do you maintain a high quality of indoor air? Simple—by regularly changing your air filters.

How Often Should I Change my Air Filters?

If you’ve ever changed your air filter and said “eww”–then you’ve waited far too long. As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville—we’ve seen ‘eww’ far too many times! Dirty, old air filters not only negatively affect your air quality but they also contribute to poor HVAC system performance and overworking/overloading.

How often you should change your air filters depends on a few factors:

·The type of air filters you use

·The desired air quality of your home

·The overall air quality outside your home

·If you have pets

·If you or your family has allergies

·How many people are living in your home

As a general rule of thumb you want to change it every 60 to 90 days, but the more pets you have, the more allergy sensitivities you have and the air quality can all shorten that period. For example the average suburban home without pets can generally go 90 days, but with pets it must be changed every 60. Homes with more than one pet or with people with allergies will want to change it every 30-45 days.

A Tip from HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville—Remember To Change It

We all lead busy lives and changing our air filter is rarely at the top of our priority lists. These days however it is easy to remember, simply set an alarm/event/notice on your smartphone to remind you.