When temperatures first fall to just above freezing, it’s a trigger for the heating business. “Thirty-five-degree weather makes our phones ring,” said Lenny Hewitt, owner of All About Air, which recently relocated to Orchards. “That’s when everyone suddenly wants their heating system checked for winter.”
According to Hewitt, any unit that heats a building, including a heat pump, is a “heating system” in his industry. “Furnace” now takes on the narrower meaning of a unit burning fossil fuels or wood. “They’re all basically the same, but fossil fuel and wood units are the ones with flames and something to burn,” he explained.
In the fall, what maintenance should homeowners do to ready their heating systems for the coming cold weather? In a word, none. Hewitt discourages people from working on their own heating systems because of their increased technical complexity.
“Most units installed in the past 15 years contain a lot of proprietary technology, and need someone trained and certified on the model to keep them running,” he said. Most heating system manufacturers, including top sellers like American Standard, Lenox, and Carrier, require certified technicians. Working on one yourself, or using an uncertified technician, voids the unit’s warranty.
“Think of a heating system like a car; you want to keep it running and have least down time,” Hewitt said. “While people mostly avoid service contracts, they often get one for a car. An HVAC service contract also makes sense, but only if you use it. With a contract, you can keep a home comfortable; and gain priority service, when we’re hit a peak season.”
Most HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) technicians recommend homeowners have a system checked at least once a year, preferably twice — once in the fall and again in the spring when high temperatures reach the 80s. Call a tech to inspect the system, change or clean the filters and tighten any loose belts or make other adjustments for keeping the unit in working order. High-pressure units may also need pressure tests. The technician can even upgrade a system to improve filtration.
It’s essential to keep your heating unit clean and keep dust particles that may be harmful to your health out of the ducts. If your vents aren’t sealed, first have the technician seal them. Then invest in a thorough cleaning.
“Unfortunately, there are some businesses that leave people with the impression duct cleaning is a once-a-year job that’s quick, easy, and cheap — it’s none of those,” said Hewitt. Cleaning a ductless heat pump is especially complex. The tech must encase the indoor head in a plastic shroud and use a battery-powered power washer to clean it.
In the past ten years, filters have gotten more complex, too. Today they range from standard inexpensive throwaways to high-tech devices that create static electricity to “magnetize” and clump up almost-invisible particles to capture them. The costs can also vary significantly. Today, you can buy paper filters that catch larger dust specks for a few dollars, or a highly specialized one capturing infinitesimal ones for thousands.
Because of the potential for carbon monoxide coming from faulty stoves and heating units burning fossil fuels, wood or pellet stoves, and fireplaces, Hewitt suggests every homeowner install carbon-monoxide detectors on all floors for protection against the colorless and odorless killer.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
