March doesn’t mean we’re through with cold weather. But it’s when winter officially ends and we start the build toward summer. Now is a good time to think about how your heater performed during the winter so you’ll have an idea if you need to make any updates, repairs, or even a full replacement for it during the spring or summer.
We’ll go with a grading system you’re familiar with—school report card grades! Consider how well your heater worked over the past winter. Take into account your comfort, how often you needed to run the heater, if it required any repairs, its age, and your sense of its reliability. Give it a grade from “A” to “F” and look at our handy guide below:
My heating system gets an “A”!
We’re happy that you’re happy with your heating system. If it’s still under its estimated service life, then you can expect it will have another excellent and problem-free winter ahead of it. We want to add this word of caution however: a heater that scores an “A” probably has received regular professional maintenance each year. Please keep it up, because the fastest way to a worse report card is to skip this service.
I think a “B” is about right
Not bad! You enjoyed dependable heating and didn’t have anything major go wrong. However, a “B” isn’t an “A,” so what held you back from giving the top marks to your heater? Whatever it is, it’s something that warrants attention. Maybe you forgot to regularly change the air filter, or you heard some odd sounds. Maybe a breaker tripped once. It doesn’t mean you must call us for repairs, but it pays to be vigilant in the coming winters.
A “C,” and I’m not too happy about it
A “C” is still passing, but there’s much room for improvement. If you gave your heater a “C,” you know something isn’t right. You may have had to call for a repair during the winter, or your comfort is less than what it used to be. We recommend calling us for Lebanon, OH, HVAC service to see if this system needs repairs. If you’ve skipped maintenance for a number of years, this lower performance may be a wake-up call that you need to stick with it or else that “C” will go lower soon.
It wasn’t a great winter, because I give my heater a “D”
Your heating system is creating problems. It might be getting old and you can’t trust it. Maybe it failed completely on you at some point over the winter, or you need to keep pushing up the thermostat just to get the heat you need for comfort. The family is complaining. The furnace may be ready for a replacement, and it definitely needs professional attention to see if there’s a major repair that must be done.
I’m freezing cold, “F,” zero stars, please help me
No problem! I mean, yes, there’s a problem—your furnace is broken—but we can either fix or replace it. Call us!
“For a Comfortable Way of Life,” call on Bartels Heating & Cooling. We offer 24-hour emergency service.