An annual Furnace Cleaning in Colorado Springs is recommended by practically all furnace manufacturers. This yearly cleaning includes all parts of the furnace. The parts include flame sensors, burners, vents, furnace filters, belts, bearings, and even the furnace chimney. A clean furnace is essential to the unit working at optimum efficiency, and it also extends your system’s life. The cause of most furnace breakdowns is due to lack of maintenance. A technician will clean your furnace, and they will also lubricate and tune-up the equipment so that future breakdowns will be minimized. This will help you save energy as well.
As mentioned, furnace and AC manufacturers recommend routine cleaning and maintenance. You should check the fine print of the warranty and the owner’s manual. More often than not it states that the owner of the furnace must keep the equipment maintained or else they risk voiding the warranty. Usually proof of the maintenance is required, so be sure to keep all receipts for all service work that is done on the system.
A dirty furnace is considered to be a health hazard. The warm moist environment inside the duct work is the perfect place for pathogenic fungal and bacterial growth. Indoor air can be polluted by these microbes which can cause coughing, sneezing, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses as well as various allergic reactions. As the air is circulated in the dirty ducts, people are exposed to a nonstop stream of pollutants that can cause a great deal of harm. The problem is even worse if you or someone in the household smokes or if you have pets that shed. Pet dander is a well known allergen that triggers reactions as it circulates in the home’s air.
It is doubly important to have your furnace cleaned if there is a family member with a chronic illness, especially if that illness is a respiratory disease. If the ambient air is not clean, the illness may get progressively worse. Furnace burners that are clogged with dirt may cause backfiring. This means that the burner flame ignites at the opening of the furnace instead of the heat exchanger. This can trigger a fire inside the unit which could spread through the house. Dirty burners can produce unsafe levels of odorless carbon monoxide (CO) gas. It only takes 200 parts per million of CO to cause death. Your service technician will check your CO levels.
