Let's face it, the cool weather is a welcome end to summer, but it also serves as a reminder to take care of your home heating system now rather than later.
AC and heating repairman Matt Dohan says even if your heater worked just fine the last time it got cold in our area, you still need to have to it checked before it gets really cold this time around.
"Every given year, any parts can go out. Igniters, inducer motors, the ports can become clogged because dirt daubers sometimes tend to get in here and make nests and you get clogged ports and will not allow the pressure switch to activate," Dohan said.
Dohan says a routine, annual cleaning will reveal any problems that will prevent your heater from working properly or not working at all.
Technicians add routine maintenance will make your system last longer and keep costs down because the system will run more efficiently.
There are things Dohan says to look for in the attic.
"Go ahead and do a thorough electrical check, make sure everything is in line, check the gas connections, make sure that everything is connected tightly so that when you do turn it on we don't have to worry about any loose connections or things like that," he said.
And there is a good reason for doing this now rather than when the temperatures really drop.
"That's when the phones goes crazy -- when we get that first cold snap. And each company including ourselves, we only have so many trucks and so we only have so many people we can touch at that time," said Mark Grant with Weeks Electrical Service.
A routine service call should only cost you around $100. If a technician does find a major problem and wants you to spend a couple of thousand dollars, be sure to get a second estimate before agreeing to anything.
Having that extra time is another reason to check things out before it gets really cold.
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