Time for a tuneup of your heating system

Safety a priority, along with staying warm

SAN ANTONIO – Experts recommend a tuneup of heating and cooling systems before the seasons change, yet many people don't, said Chase Anderson, president and CEO of Shafer Services.

Now that temperatures are starting to fall, many people are using their gas furnaces for the first time.

 "A big thing that we're focusing on right now is safety," Anderson said.

"We're looking at the gas piping feeding these systems, make sure there are no gas leaks there," he said. "Like any gas appliance, a furnace is going to create carbon monoxide."

RELATED: Safety tips for homeowners as cold weather arrives in San Antonio

He said natural gas has an odor, but carbon monoxide doesn't.

Anderson said since carbon monoxide is heavier than oxygen, it sinks. Yet often carbon monoxide detectors are placed on the ceiling or up high somewhere, rather than down low.

"We're talking less than $100 to come out and look at everything, make sure it's operating correctly," Anderson said.

 Alice Moreno, who had a technician tune up her heating system, said the service is well worth the money.

"(I) certainly want to be safe," she said.


About the Authors:

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.