Top 3 FAQs About Furnaces
At TAME Group, we get questions about furnaces every day from our customers, so we wanted to answer our top three FAQs about furnaces to help you out.
Do I need to have regular maintenance on my furnace?
We highly recommended to have regular maintenance performed on your furnace. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) — the Provincial governing body of gas equipment — confirms that well maintained furnaces will be more economical in the long-term and will provide better protection against carbon monoxide.
Ensuring that you receive annual maintenance on your furnace will help you extend the life of your furnace because it will be thoroughly examined by a professional. There is a long list of items that examined during maintenance, including:
- Combustion air opening
- Condensate lines & pump
- Venting system
- Blower motor
- Ignition assembly
- Humidifier
- Belts
- Pipes
- Switches
- Burners
- Heat exchanger
- Belts/pulleys
- Thermostat cycling
- Lubrication
- And more
What is MERV rating?
MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This is the standard used to rate the size of the particles that an air filter can capture so that these particles aren’t blown through your ducts and into your home.
The higher the number (or MERV rating), the more effective your air filter will be in trapping dust, dirt, allergens, and other air pollutants. On the other hand, higher MERV rated filters do not let as much air move through the filter, which can make your furnace work harder.
Some furnaces will indicate which types of MERV ratings work best for its effectivity.
If there are people in your household who are allergy sufferers or are sensitive to dust and mould, or if there are pets in your home, you will likely want a higher MERV-rated filter.
How often should I change my furnace filter?
Generally, we recommend that you change your air filter every three months, but the answer to this question depends on many factors, including:
- The type of filter you are using (the MERV rating)
- Whether there are pets in the home
- Whether there are people with allergies in the home
- If there has been any recent renovation in the home
If there has been construction work in your home recently, we suggest changing your filter throughout the process as it will likely be less effective with the added dust and dirt from the renovations.
Schedule maintenance for your furnace before the cold weather approaches by contacting the experts at TAME Group. We’ll give your furnace a thorough inspection and cleaning and make sure it’s set to keep you warm and cozy all season.
