Repairing your broken HVAC system can be pricey and make your home very uncomfortable until it’s fixed. So you probably want your system to run efficiently and for as long as possible. One way to give your system a long lifespan is to equip it with special accessories.
Let’s take a look at one of the most important accessories you can have on your system: the safe-t float switch.
What is it?
In short, it’s a switch that will kill power to your whole system if your furnace fills up with water. This device is so important that if you purchase a new system today, the company you hire may be mandated by state law to include it. However, many systems that are a few years old don’t have these devices.
How’s it work?
In many cases, furnaces are installed in attics. Your furnace is the portion of your system responsible for blowing hot or cold air through your house. And when your system is working to cool your house during summer, your furnace produces water.
This water drips into a pan, goes into a PVC pipe, then pours out onto your grass. Over time, white slime and rust will build up in your PVC pipe. When this happens, the water can back up into the pan and spill all over your furnace.
This can destroy the circuit board inside your furnace, costing thousands to replace. Also, the water can pour onto your ceiling, creating irreversible water damage.
The safe-t float switch gets triggered when water gets too high in the pan and shuts off your system to avoid water damage to your circuit board and ceiling.
Even if your furnace is located under your house in a crawl space versus above your ceiling, we still recommend installing one. If enough water pours out from your furnace into this space, it can cause unhygienic growth and damage your home.
If you know that you don’t have one of these devices installed on your furnace, or you’re not sure, call a professional HVAC company to look over your system or install one for you. Better yet, contact Absolute Heat & Air! Get ahold of us by clicking here.
