The Endless Game of Catch-Up

It sure does feel like we are always playing catch-up – at work, at home, with our friends and family – the list goes on and on and there is never enough time to do it all. I can’t tell you how many times I think of something I need to take care of or something that I know needs to be looked at by a professional, but I never actually get it done because there is always something else more pressing – usually it is the “something” that has just broken.

It is the same thing with home comfort systems. We rarely think about what they may need until they are not working at all. It seems a little silly, doesn’t it? We would never take a 3 month journey in our car without first at least having the oil changed, but year after year, we turn on our furnaces without a single thought as to what condition they may be in or if they will even work at all.

Having our systems serviced every year is an absolute must. It truly is the equivalent to having the oil changed in our cars. The only difference is that our cars ding and flash “change oil” notices to us relentlessly until we get it done. Our heating systems really should do the same thing. If they are not serviced properly, they will not work as they should no matter how cold it is or how badly you need it to.

In order to break the cycle of playing catch-up and make sure your system is serviced for the next season ahead, read “WARNING… Approaching System Failure”.

Oh, the Complaining that we can do…

Frustrations are a part of life, unfortunately. And as homeowners, it’s easy to complain about all the work we have to do (and sometimes money we have to spend) to keep things running smoothly.

It seems there’s never enough time in the day to tend to everything that pops up on our to-do list. And yet, while some things do happen that are beyond our control, there are other things that we can do now to prevent future frustrations.

In this season, one important prevention involves preparing our home for winter. This is just a basic philosophy that proves true year after year. If we take a little bit of time now to make sure our furnaces are working properly, then we've taken the best step we can take to avoid a break- down on a very cold day in the near future.

Think of it this way. Your furnace needs a little TLC so it can provide the same to you. It’s a piece of equipment, after all. It can’t take care of itself. But if you put a little bit of maintenance into it, you’re helping your furnace function at optimal levels. Then it will take care of you. And nobody’s going to complain about that.

So avoid your future frustration right now. Read “Walking the Walk” to learn more about comfort system maintenance.