Where the Heart Is: Warming Up for Winter

So far this September, we've had a taste of the temperatures that lie ahead. If you’re like me, you had to give yourself a moment to remember where the heating switch was on your thermostat.

My kids were requesting hot chocolate to warm things up. I went in search of fire.

There’s nothing like a fireplace to ward off the chill. However, there’s nothing like a well-maintained heating system to keep your home warm. 

Tammy Smith of Ron Smith Heating and Air in Lithia Springs says this is the time of year to make sure your furnace is working properly, “so when it really gets cold, you don’t have to worry about your heater not functioning.”

Smith adds that lack of maintenance leads to dirty filters, coils and blowers, which forces your unit to use more juice to run, and eventually causes electrical failures in your motors, compressors, contactors and circuit boards.

“If you have a reputable service company check your heater and air conditioner once a year," she explains, "you can avoid those problems.”

Carolyn Christensen of Ductz International of Greater Atlanta says changing your filters is crucial in keeping your heating and cooling units running properly.

“The filter protects the evaporator coil and the blower wheel on your heating and air conditioning unit," she says. "If the filter’s not working properly, the coil and the wheel get clogged up.”

Which filter is best to use in your home? It depends on your needs. 

“Those 39-cent fiberglass filters are just about worthless,” Christensen points out. “They’ll catch a golf ball if you throw a golf ball at one, but that’s about it. All the very, very small particles will get into your evaporator coil, into your duct system, and into your house.”

Most filters use the MERV industry standard of between 1-12 (the higher the number, the more particles are filtered out.) The EPA suggests changing them out once a month when your air conditioner is in use, and every three months when it’s not.

Christensen says you should also make sure you keep bushes, ivy and decorative fences at least two feet away from the sides of your unit, and at least five feet clear above it, for practical and safety reasons. “The unit can’t move air if it’s blocked.”

As for the fireplace I crave, Kenda Cowart of on Florence Road in Powder Springs says the business get a lot of calls this time of year from folks who want to have a real fire burning in their home.

“We specialize in open fireplaces with lots of beautiful stone and masonry," she says. "There’s nothing like it in fall.”

Christensen admits you can lose heat up the chimney, though, unless you keep glass doors and the flue closed when it’s not in use. Both Cowart and Christensen recommend yearly chimney inspections.

Cowart says her customers prefer the big, open, wood-burning fireplaces. “I like the heat from burning wood,” she adds. “The light, the smell. It really takes the chill off.”

Just add hot chocolate.