ALTOONA - Patsy Caporuscio has been servicing heaters for over 35 years and he fully expects this January to put a huge burden on furnaces and other home-heating systems.
"They'll be running more," said Caporuscio, owner of Caporuscio Heating and Plumbing. "That's when you're going to find problems, they're not going to break down when they're not running, so January and February are peak months for us."
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, residential building heating fires also spike in January to their highest levels of the year.
Caporuscio says a lot of those fires come from older furnaces that use chimneys to carry flue gases out of the home.
To steer away from heating problems, Caporuscio urges people to have their heating systems serviced at least once a year because of the wear and tear on their many parts.
Caporuscio added that although rare, an un-serviced and damaged furnace can create carbon monoxide, a potentially deadly and odorless gas.
A less severe consequence of not having a furnace serviced is higher than necessary heating costs.
"The filters need to be changed," he said. "Your furnace will work the same but it doesn't supply as much air so you're not getting as much out of your furnace, and you're actually costing yourself a lot of money with gas bills as high as they are."
He also said that there's a common misconception among people living in new houses that their furnaces don't need checked.
"They think a new furnace won't break down," he continued. "They still have a lot of parts and a lot of sensors, and ignoring the furnace will cause problems and cost more money later."
To view more tips on how to keep your heating system properly operating, visit the State Farm Insurance Learning Center here...
