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It goes without saying that having your furnace serviced on a regular basis is very important to the safety and efficiency of your home. Even in relatively mild climates where the winter doesn’t get as cold as some parts of the country, no one wants to try to make it through uncomfortably cold and blustery weather wrapped in blankets and huddled next to a space heater, so regular furnace service is an absolute must.

Of course, we can’t stress highly enough the importance of making sure your gas furnace is completely safe. Thanks to modern technology and to a general awareness of the importance of proper safety precautions, explosions are rare, but they can happen, and every year, we do read of a few in the newspapers. Why take chances on something like that when regular maintenance can avoid such an accident.

More insidious is danger from carbon monoxide. As everyone knows, carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless, tasteless, colorless gas. It is also a natural by-product of the combustion process in your gas furnace, and it must be vented safely and harmlessly to the outside of your home. However, cracks in the combustion chamber due to age, rust (a particular problem in moist climates), insufficient air flow and/or improper ventilation, incorrect gas pressure or malfunctioning equipment—all of these can cause carbon monoxide to get into your air ducts and, hence, into your home. Especially today, when houses are sealed to the outside for heating efficiency, it is crucial to make sure that you’re not breathing deadly gas.

Safety should always be the first consideration. Have a regular furnace service plan, for safety’s sake. But the second consideration, of course, is efficiency. Are you really getting the most bang for your heating buck? You take your car to the garage for regular service; servicing your furnace is just as important. An annual tune-up, especially right after the main heating season and a quick inspection when you turn on the pilot light again in the fall, will ensure that your furnace runs smoothly and efficiently for as many years as possible. And remember: Modern furnaces are much more complicated than the one your grandparents had. Even small problems—a little dust on the electrodes here, a tiny malfunction there—left undetected over time can not only reduce the efficiency, but even shorten the lifespan of your furnace. And if you think furnace service is expensive, compared it to furnace replacement. Homeowners who are wise to the importance and benefits of safe and environmentally-friendly furnace operation are not as likely to face unexpected furnace replacement issues.

Furnace Service in Seattle - Melissa Buckingham is the Operations Manager for Seattle-based Puget Sound Plumbing and Heating. A graduate of the University of Washington Business School, Melissa has been involved in the plumbing industry for more than 20 years. As a leader of the company, she believes that experience and knowledge are the fundamental building blocks to business success, and with regard to plumbing, she is passionate about plumbing as a means to protect the health of the citizenry.