The need for annual checks and maintenance of your Gas heating system in the home
Is your old Gas Heating system out of date?
Imagine this: winter has struck and the mercury is plummeting along with the daylight hours. To beat the cold, you switch on your old reliable gas heating system. And nothing happens…
Annual maintenance is crucial
Gas heating systems get very heavy use in the colder winter and autumn months and then seldom get turned on for the rest of the year. This combination of intense activity followed by idleness can cause plenty of wear and tear that may go unnoticed until a crucial time. If you have an older gas heating system, it’s vitally important that you have it serviced annually by a qualified technician. In fact, it’s a good idea to have it serviced at least every two years, especially just before heavy seasonal use. This way, any necessary gas heater repairs can be done quickly and cheaply before they present a problem. A simple round of annual maintenance by a professional will save you plenty of money in the long run and give you peace of mind that when the time comes to switch on the heat, it will work just fine.
Check, check and check again
In addition to regular maintenance, it pays to regularly check on your gas heater system. This is something you can do yourself as part of everyday home maintenance. A quick inspection of the unit and its surroundings could help identify any problems, such as a pilot light going out or damage from a storm. This is a good idea all year round, especially in the colder months when the unit will be running solidly. In the warmer months, performing a regular check on the gas heating system will help avoid any problems building up before its heavy seasonal use.
A replacement could be a good idea
Gas heating systems are well designed and well built – but they won’t last forever. A regular program of checks and annual maintenance will certainly extend the life of your gas heating system and help you avoid expensive and inconvenient problems. But when the system becomes out of date, it’s often a better idea to simply replace it. A new gas heating system will come with a brand new warranty for repairs, and it will usually be more efficient than the older model it’s replacing and may have features that make it more resilient.
Maintain or replace – it’s your choice
The bottom line for a gas heating system is that it needs to work when it’s called upon – especially in the cold winter months. So whether you stick with the old system and keep it in good nick with regular maintenance and checks or replace it with a newer model, the important thing is to be able to trust that the system will work. Whether you are maintaining an older model or a new one, it’s vitally important to have a qualified technician doing the maintenance or the installation. This way, you will ensure your gas heating system has a long and reliable life, and that when you switch it on, there are no problems.
