By nature, furnace emergencies ( such as a furnace leaking water ) come unannounced. The most severe emergencies are those that offer no precursors to their occurrence. They simply occur, leaving devastation, inconvenience and exposure to a plethora of risk in their wake. This can be said of HVAC emergencies. To reduce the effects that come with HVAC emergencies, you need to be financially prepared, which as per the reports, many Canadians are not.
To better understand things, consider this; 25% of Canadian household do not have any saving for such emergencies. This means that they do not have any means to meet any repairs warranted by the damage to the HVAC system. Additionally, of the 75% of households that do save for such emergencies, about half of them have saved less than $1,000. This amount is by no means enough to fully cover the repairs. Matters get worse when something like the furnace needs to be replaced in the middle of winter when it is paramount to heat in your home.
The Main Causes of HVAC Breakdowns
The heating and cooling system is the most vulnerable system in the house. Breakdowns in this systems accounted for a fifth of all the unexpected home services and repairs. Among the most vulnerable parts of the system is the furnace, which breaks down due to:
1. Having faulty pilot or ignition.
2. Having Dirty filters.
3. Old age, where the operating furnace is passed its lifespan.
4. Defective thermostats that malfunction.
On the other hand, the air condition experiences problems such as:
1. Malfunctioning drainage
2. Refrigerant leaks
3. Failure in the electrical controls
4. Defective sensors.
Effects of Emergencies
Beyond the initial inconveniences of having such an important system not working, there is a long-lasting financial effect. This financial effect is exacerbated when the household in question does not have the financial resources to cover the fees for repairs.
This is because they usually end up borrowing the funds that are required to meet the repairs. In this case, they turn to the banks or other financial institutions, family, and friends for emergency loans. Such loans usually compromise your financial stability by introducing unwanted variables, in the form of the cost of loans.
Alternatively, many people opt for cheap and quick fixes that are also shoddy. This makes the entire system vulnerable to total system failure, which in the long run, will be more expensive.
Avoiding The HVAC Emergencies
There are steps that every household can take to reduce the cost and the inconvenience if having the HVAC system down. Herein the best of them all:
#1. Proper Maintenance of the HVAC System – keeping your system well maintained ensures that every art of the system is functioning well and its best. To this end, ensure that the system receives regular maintenance, which reduces the risk of breakdowns as well as increasing the life of the system.
#2. Set Aside A Proper Emergency Funds – you should set aside some funds for emergencies. This will cushion you against the financial shock of having repairs done on your HVAC.
#3. Purchase A Home Warranty Program – having such a program or even a maintenance program will ensure that you HVAC is well maintained all through, reducing the chances of breakages.
Finally, you should only experts work on your HVAC system. Otherwise, you might receive mediocre maintenance services, leaving you susceptible to future breakages.