Now that fall has settled in, the best way to avoid potential heating issues on cold days is with regular furnace maintenance. To keep your gas furnace working when you need it, we recommend an annual furnace checkup. During winter, follow these furnace maintenance tips to keep the heat coming.
Work under safe conditions
Before you do anything, make sure you’re working safely. Gas can be dangerous if you don’t handle it correctly. Before you begin any serious furnace maintenance, make sure you turn everything off. If you’re not entirely sure what you need to turn off to get the work done, trip the main circuit breaker to verify your safety during the maintenance process.
Finally, if you smell gas, don’t try to shut anything off or turn it on. Instead, leave the premises immediately. Have a professional flush the gas from the house and fix the leak before you do any more work.
How to Check Your Furnace Filter
A gas furnace’s filter prevents dirt from entering the unit and building up. Build up can lead to malfunctions or even fires. A filter also keeps the warm air blown into your home clean. Check your filter at least once every other month. This also holds true for summer when you run your air conditioning.
Your filter is simply a cardboard rectangle with a mesh covering. It easily slides in and out of its designated slot, usually at the bottom of your furnace. You can find most replacement filters at your local hardware or home improvement store.
Test your thermostat
If the temperature setting on your thermostat doesn’t match the actual temperature, you may have one of two furnace-related problems: The thermostat itself has stopped working or there’s a disconnect between the wall unit and the furnace.
Either way, if this happens frequently, you’ll want to repair or upgrade your thermostat. A new, programmable energy efficient thermostat isn’t expensive and usually pays for itself in energy cost savings.
Clean the blower
While checking the filtration system, also check the blower. The blower is further inside, and you should be able to see it when you change the air filter. It’s a circular intake with a wheel-like fan. Wipe the blower down with a damp cloth each time you change the filter. Cleaning the blower prevents dust or dirt that may have escaped through the filter from getting further inside the furnace.
Regularly check and clean your vents
All gas furnaces have a venting system that prevents unsafe heat build-up. Just like with anything else, dust builds up both on and within furnace vent systems. Clean them with a scrubbing brush, vacuum cleaner and damp cloth to ensure their continued effectiveness.
Inspect the fan
This maintenance is best left to a professional. It isn’t as easy to get to the fan within the furnace as it is to get to everything else. Getting pre-winter furnace maintenance is recommended to keep up with part changes and cleaning needs so you don’t allow small problems to become big.
Clean your air ducts
Dust, pet dander and debris that builds up inside your ducts eventually gets blown all over your home. Clean ducts work better and provide you with cleaner air.
Keeping your furnace clean is the easiest way to extend its life and keep it from breaking down. If you run into any issues, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299! We’re here 24/7 for all your plumbing and HVAC needs.
