3 Reasons To Say "Lights Out" To Your Furnace's Pilot Light This Spring
Spring is just around the corner, which means it's almost time to give your gas furnace a well-needed break. But shutting down your furnace involves more than just changing your thermostat's settings. If you have a furnace that still relies on a standing pilot light, then you're probably wondering if you should turn it off along with the rest of your furnace. As it turns out, there are plenty of good reasons why your pilot light deserves a break, too.
It'll Help You Save Money
Your pilot light flame might be small, but the natural gas it consumes over the course of a month still adds up. The average pilot light can consume anywhere from 5 to 12 therms of natural gas each month. Depending on the cost of natural gas in your area, you could easily spend an additional $10 to $30 per month on your pilot light alone. That's an extra $10 to $30 that could go towards other things in your household.
It'll Keep Your Home Cooler
Putting a dent in your natural gas bill isn't the only reason you should turn off your standing pilot light when shutting down your furnace for the spring. As with any other type of open flame, pilot lights also generate additional heat. It may not be noticeable to you, but the extra 600 to 900 BTUs per hour generated by a typical pilot light can have a small increase on your home's average temperature throughout the spring and summer.
Turning off the pilot light gives your air conditioner a fighting chance to keep your home cool without any other appliance constantly working against it. You'll also end up with a slightly smaller utility bill during the spring and summer months.
It'll Reduce Wear and Tear on Your Furnace
Keeping your pilot light on throughout the spring and summer can also add plenty of unnecessary wear and tear on your furnace. More specifically, you'll end up having to maintain certain parts of your pilot light more often. Imagine having to clean or replace the thermocouple, thermopile sensor or pilot orifice more often because you decided to leave your pilot light on year-round.
Shutting off the pilot light for the spring and summer can easily reduce your maintenance costs by a significant amount. It'll save you a service call or two, plus you won't have to spend so much on parts for your pilot light. To learn more, visit a website like http://www.chappels.com/.