Furnace check can save you money, keep your family safe

CLEVELAND - Furnaces are starting to fire up, as the nights continue to get colder. But did you get your furnace checked before turning it on this season? It's important thing to check off the list, not only to save on your energy bills, but to keep you and your family safe.

Pat Balko has her furnace checked every year. "The money for the service is well worth it because I know that my furnace is going to be working all winter."

The average cleaning will cost you less than $100, but could save you hundreds from an expensive repair.

Beckwith Heating and Cooling technician Dave Koch checked out Balko’s furnace to make sure everything was working properly. He replaced the filter, cleaned the internal parts to make sure they were free of dust, and fired up the furnace to check the temperature, draft, and levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, both in the furnace and in the air going into the home.

Koch said when it comes to the health of your furnace, preventative maintenance is key. "Few people would consider taking a trip in a car, whether it's new or old, without getting it checked out. But a furnace basically is a controlled fire in the middle of your basement and most people don't even think about that."

Balko said, "It really puts my mind at ease with having it checked every year knowing that everything is cleaned and checked."

Koch recommends every home with a furnace also have a carbon monoxide detector. He also reminds people to change the batteries in their thermostat once a year, because the last service call anyone wants to make is on a weekend night to find out that their heat isn't turning on simply because the batteries in their thermostat died.