The last thing on your to-do list this summer might be your heater, but in reality, this is the ideal time to give it some professional attention. In most cases, your heating and cooling system share the same space and many parts. If somethingandrsquo;s wrong with the furnace, it could trickle over into problems with cooling your home.
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
The heating and air conditioning systems share the ductwork and the blower motor. The ductwork distributes the conditioned air and the blower motor pulls air into the air handler where it goes over the evaporator coil in the summer and the heat exchanger in the winter.
Many homes have air leakage in the ductwork to some degree, but if you have significant leakage, the indoor air quality will be lower and your health could be at risk year-round. If you use a vented gas water heater or dryer, the ductwork leaks could backdraft carbon monoxide (CO) into your homeandrsquo;s air during the summer. In the winter, the risk increases when the furnace runs.
- Air leaks will pull in dust and debris from the areas through which they run. Many homes have ducts in the attic where itandrsquo;s dusty and irritants like pollen and mold spores could be present.
- The evaporator coil might be a breeding ground for mold or biological growths.
- The heat exchanger may be cracked, which could emit CO into the air each time the heater runs. By law, the furnace canandrsquo;t be used until itandrsquo;s repaired or entirely replaced.
Should you find any of these issues during a maintenance visit in the summer, youandrsquo;ll have plenty of time to make sound decisions about repairing or replacing. There may be time wait for a new heat exchanger and the HVAC team will have time to thoroughly seal all the ductwork leaks.
If youandrsquo;d like to get the most from your A/C system and ready the heater for fall, contact Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar at (408) 868-5500, or visit our website for more information about your HVAC system.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).