Last fall I had everyone who reads my blogs on a regular (thank you for that!) do a mental exercise. Not too tough, like a Sudoku. All you had to do was give your air conditioning system a grade like in school: A to F. That helps you to plan ahead about your comfort system and take measures during the downtime period.
Now I want all of you to do the same for your furnace. Warmer weather means furnaces will soon go into hibernation—although we can never count out cold surprises during April—and attention starts to move to the AC. So it’s time to give your furnace a grade for the season it just handled, and you’ll have an idea if you need to schedule furnace service in Knoxville, TN during the spring.
My furnace gets an “A”
Great! This probably means you had steady heat when you needed it, no cold spots in the house, no strange noises from the furnace, and you never had to call for repairs. I’d bet you had the furnace tune-up with our team in fall because well-maintained furnaces often score “A”s.
It was fine, so I give it a “B”
This sounds good, but I want to know what made you decide to go down a notch from the top grade. Did the furnace have some slow starts? Few rooms colder than normal? Maybe you have an old furnace and you suspect it may not last much longer. It’s easy to schedule service with our experts to check what’s happening and see if it calls for repairs.
I have to give it a “C”
That’s not good. You may have had to get the furnace repaired during the fall or had another type of service interruption. Noises from the cabinet, the house seems to take way too long to get warm, and you find you aren’t confident about the heat on some days. These are all reasons to have the furnace looked at as soon as possible. The issue may be small. Or it may be time for a new furnace.
My furnace is in bad shape and gets a “D”
Now we’re talking about the system breaking down entirely during the winter, or skyrocketing heating bills, or a sense of unease that the furnace can make it through the season. I hope you sought help for it during the season, and you probably heard advice from professionals about getting it replaced. It’s time to heed that advice.
My furnace gets an “F” and I’m worried
I hope this little exercise has made you realize you need to act on those worries! A furnace that’s behaving so poorly that you give it failing grade could be a potential safety hazard. If you haven’t already done so, shut the furnace all the way off and call our technicians.
Preparation and knowledge are important tools—especially the knowledge of when to call our team. We can make sure your furnace gets an “A” this time next year!
Stay warm,
Olive