Are you excited that summer is finally on the way and that you'll be able to partake in all of the various outdoor activities that you've been missing? Have you been looking forward to finally being able to shut off your heating system for the year? As much as you might like winter weather, there often comes a point when you're done with all the cold and just want warm weather to arrive. Unfortunately, this may lead to you forgetting to properly maintain your heating system so that it is ready for next year. Before you get so excited about spring and summer that you forget everything again, here are some things that should be done as soon as possible:

Get a tune-up: All mechanical things, whether they are cars or air conditioning units or heating systems, start to wear out eventually. Just as with a car, one of the best ways to avoid this is to have a professional come in to check out your system on an annual basis. If you wait until autumn to do this, you'll be competing with all of the people who are in urgent need of a heating repair and it may be some time before your unit can be checked out. The best time to have this done is now, once you'll be turning the heating system off for the year.

Change or clean filters: Some heating systems have multiple filters in different locations. One major cause of needing a heating repair is dirty filters that were forgotten and not cleaned or replaced on time. With a dirty filter, your system will have to work harder to circulate air and may overheat to the point where components get damaged. Instead of just changing the filter and calling the job done, make sure that your system doesn't have a secondary filter that might also need to be changed or replaced.

Test regularly: When it's hot outside, one of the last things that you'll be wanting to do is to turn on your heating system and heat up your house. But this is exactly what you should be doing once every four weeks or so. Doing this helps clear out any dust that may have settled in the system so that there isn't a massive amount to contend with once cold weather arrives. It will also give you advance warning of any heating repair issues that will need to be taken care of before winter arrives. Even with a regular tune-up, it's possible for something like rodents to have chewed on the wiring since then, necessitating repairs before you can actually use the heating system.