During the colder months, things get very real for heating, cooling and ventilation systems—this is true whether you own a small home or a skyscraper. During these rougher months, all of the kinks and problems in a system will show; if there wasn’t a problem in the summer, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t have issues with it in the winter. Here are some tasks you can consider having done before the truly cold and obnoxious weather gets here. Trust us, you want your biggest worry to be snow days, not a broken heater during one.

Consider your air filtration systems as well as the ventilation and ducts throughout your property.

During the summer, animals can become quite comfortable in the more accessible nooks and crannies of your outdoor HVAC systems—it’s not unheard of, and a brief scan of these areas will usually show if that’s an issue. You should also consider all the dirt, dust and pollen that builds up throughout a season in your ventilation, and get it cleaned out, or else it’s going to course its way through your system during the colder seasons. It’s good for your filtration systems to have your ducts cleaned at least once every few years- it takes strain off of your air filter, and a clear air filter puts less stress on the intakes of your system, which will save your system a lot of stress over time.

Consider your water system, do you have any pipes far removed from your heating systems?

If so, it’ll be in your best interests to add extra insulation to these areas. Carefully consider where your heating system is reaching. Frozen pipes can be avoided during the winter by understanding where your heating is reaching and taking care of the pipes outside that reach.

How is that furnace of yours doing? You could definitely benefit from checking it out.

This should go without saying, but the furnace is the life blood of your heating system. There are so many things that can go wrong with a furnace, and we recommend at least having it checked out sometime in the fall. Here are some signs that might indicate something problematic going on in your system.

-Clanking or rumbling noises in the system itself.

-Low pilot light or repeated “sparks” of the ignition system.

-Smells coming from the furnace, including rotten eggs, smoke, burning plastic or gas.

Don’t let any problems with your furnace go unchecked. If you do, you can completely lose heating for your house and need a full furnace replacement. In a worst case scenario, faulty furnaces can cause fires – it’s extremely important that you take care of your furnace, and it’ll take care of you.

Furnace problems? Funny smells in your home? You don’t need this right before the fall and winter season. We provide emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout Philly and many surrounding PA and NJ regions. Call us today in PA at 215.310.0116 or in NJ at 856.375.1472.