Get Your Home Ready for Winter Heating Season
Tick tock! The cold weather will be here soon! So now is the time to think about your home and make sure you are ready. Here is our handy 12-point “cold weather” checklist to help you get your home all set up for the heating season!
Stale air and limited airflow can affect how you feel. To clarify, allergens in the air – like dust, mould, mildew, pet dander – can lead to sneezing, irritated nose and throat, congestion, and asthma flare-ups.
When your furnace is not running efficiently from a clogged filter, you can unknowingly drive up both your natural gas and electricity costs.
Additionally, indoor pollutants can reduce the life expectancy of your equipment. Dirt inside your furnace is not your friend. Your equipment will age faster and may be subject to increased frequency of repairs.
Some furnaces will actually shut down if the furnace filter is severely clogged up. So be aware of this and always check your filter to make sure it is clean.
Thinner 1” filters need to be changed out every 8 to12 weeks – and more often if you have pets in the house or are under going dusty home renovations.
A1 offers an extensive range of both conventional and premium HEPA/air cleaner filters. We provide convenient options for our customers, including mail delivery or local pick-up at our office located at 1420 Cornwall Road, Unit 3, in southeast Oakville, L6J 7W5. Experience the convenience and quality of our filter selection today.
Don’t’ leave it to an extremely cold day to find out your furnace isn’t working.
Did you know that total lifetime HVAC costs can be up to 50% lower for those who perform the right preventative maintenance and cleaning of their heating systems?
Besides cleaning and tuning up your furnace, our certified A1 Technicians will use a combustion analyzer to ensure that there are no issues with carbon monoxide fumes coming from your furnace.
As a result, your furnace can run safely and efficiently. Click here to see our 32-point furnace inspection, tune-up and cleaning checklist
Schedule a fireplace tune-up with A1. Why? Extreme heat causes dirt build-up over time which can corrode and affect the working parts of your fireplace. Read more here about A1’s fireplace tune-up
Important parts inside your fireplace like the gas ignitor and burners will age over time and corrosion, dirt or insects can set in, affecting how well your fireplace will work.
Gas fireplaces need to be properly vented so your air does not get contaminated. Carbon monoxide is the most potentially harmful product produced by gas fireplaces.
For battery-driven carbon monoxide detectors, ensure they are operating and check that they haven’t gone past the expiration date – there is usually a 5–7-year lifespan.
After 5-7 years, replace the CO alarm completely.
Vacuum and check batteries if required.
Clean the debris around your outdoor AC unit and put a cover over it to protect it.
Above all, make sure the cover is made out of breathable material or is not too tight to avoid rust, caused by moisture build-up (condensation).
You’ll be closing the windows and doors this winter, which means you’ll have less fresh air in your home.
An HRV brings fresh air into your home and creates a healthier indoor air environment.
It provides your house with ventilation and controls wintertime condensation that can damage windows, insulation, and furniture. Because of this, it’s like having your windows open in the winter!
Why is duct cleaning necessary? Well, your heating and air conditioning systems can act as a collection source for a variety of potentially harmful contaminants such as mould, spores, pollen, human and pet dander, viruses and mites.
If your ducts are dirty, this nasty stuff circulates constantly around your house, from the air blowing through your ductwork.
If you’re ready to hunker down for the winter and haven’t had your ducts cleaned in a few years or you’ve had recent renovations, now is a great time to get your ducts cleaned by A1. We will also sanitize all your air ducts with safe, non-toxic botanical ingredients.
We recommend duct cleaning every 3-5 years.
Go ahead, you can add on a dryer vent cleaning to your A1 duct cleaning appointment!
A clean dryer vent can help your dryer run more efficiently, saving you money and drying time.
Additionally, it can prevent expected breakdowns and help prevent the risk of a fire.
During the summer, we don’t need the added humidity in our homes, so the damper is closed to keep any additional moisture out.
Because we’re entering the heating season, it’s extremely important to remember to open humidifier dampers for the upcoming winter.
We also recommend setting the humidity level on your humidistat or thermostat and allow 24-48 hours for the humidity level to change inside your home.
Do you have a humidifier attached to your furnace? If so, it needs some attention each year.
Did you know that calcium buildup and mould can form on the water panel of your humidifier?
The panel should be replaced once a year (can be done during A1 furnace inspection).
We hope our 12-point “cold weather” checklist can help you be ready for the heating season.
Speak to one of our team members by calling (647) 494-4978 or book a service call with A1 today so we can help you get ready for winter!
If you have an emergency of any kind, we are here for you. HVAC Emergency Services in GTA – A1 Air Conditioning & Heating
