Less Wear Means Less Furnace Repair
You do not need advanced training as a heating, air conditioning, and ventilation technician to understand that the more a furnace runs, the more it wears down. Thus, if you want to reign in repair costs—especially with an older furnace—then you need to find ways to reduce the load on your furnace. Improving the seals around doors and installing seals on your windows will help.
The Problem with Windows
As cold air moves across the outer surface of a window, it absorbs heat from the window itself. The purpose of a double-pane window is to isolate the interior pane from the outside world. A triple-pane window adds an extra layer of dead air to further isolate the inside pane. While multiple-pane windows are a vast improvement over a single-pane window, there is still more that you can do. If you add a layer of reflective film on the inside of your window, it will help to reflect heat back into your home. While it might not seem like a layer of film will do much, studies show that the right film will help to decrease your heating costs by up to 25%. In other words, you save money on heating your home because your furnace runs 25% less.
The Problem with Doors
Not all doors are created equal, so there are two steps you should take to make sure that your doors stop as much cold as possible from entering your home. First, you need to look for a door with an insulated core. Such doors will provide better insulation than even a door made from a solid slab of wood or metal. On the other hand, you can have a top-quality, insulated-core door that does not fit well in its door jamb. This is where it is important to make sure that you have a good seal around your door. The rubber seal that should come with your door can wear out over time. Thus, you should inspect the seal frequently for signs of damage. If ever you notice that the seal looks chewed up, or you can see daylight around the door, it is time to replace it.
Every step you take to reduce the load on your furnace, is a step away from repair costs. In essence, you help yourself twice: you will spend less money on heating your house, and because your furnace does not have to run as often, you will prevent wear and tear to your furnace. Do reach out to an HVAC professional when needed for repairs, however, and to get more information.