Throughout the cold winter months, you will always have the need for heating inside your home. There are a variety of issues that come with this, including making sure that you have a furnace that is functioning in an optimal manner. A heating system that works well will warm your home faster and keep your energy or gas bill at a reasonable cost. So, how can you help your furnace work just right and keep your costs manageable?
Many of us have the temptation to close vents in rooms where we feel we don’t need heating. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but closing too many, or closing ones that are nearby to the thermostat can cause problems. It also won’t cause your energy bills to go down. In fact, it may cause them to go up. Your furnace will still work just as hard to meet the optimal temperature that you’ve set for it, and if you’ve closed off too many vents, it will cause it to work harder, as it disrupts the flow of the air. This can cause damage to your heating unit, and then you may end up with a whole new set of problems. So, if you feel the need to close vents in your home, be very selective in which ones you close, and never close more than a third of them.
Sometimes we may also be tempted to use our ovens to produce heat, rather then turn on, or turn up, the heating unit. This is a very dangerous thing to do, and will not help with any of your costs. Using your oven for heating can cause a fire or could burn you if you accidentally come up against it. It can also cause damage to the oven itself, and if your oven is gas powered, it can release enough carbon monoxide to kill you. Therefore, don’t try to use your oven as a heating source. It’s simply not safe.
Another thing you can do to help maintain a healthy heating system in your home is to ensure that your doors and windows are not sources of leakages. If you can feel a cold draft from the inside of your home at your doors or windows, this is something that will also cause your heating unit to have to work harder. In some cases, if affordable, you may want to consider having drafty doors or windows replaced with more energy efficient ones. If replacement isn’t possible, windows should be checked for tightness of the seal and blocked around all sides with material that will prevent or at least lessen the draftiness. This way, your heating unit will be able to once again function more properly and be able to do its job of keeping your home warm.
Wondering about your heating unit? Contact Jiffy Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, serving Silver Spring, for more information.
