Furnace Maintenance: Tips Before Turning On Your Heater

Furnace Maintenance: Essential Tips for Preparing Your Heater for Winter

The transition between the cooling and heating seasons can happen very quickly: a sudden drop in the temperature often happens overnight and you will need heat for the first time. If the smoke alarm is sensitive and the furnace is not prepared, the light smoke of singed dust can give the family a rude awakening in the middle of the night. Be prepared by choosing a time during the day to call for heat and get that taken care of. Here are a few more furnace maintenance tips to prepare your home’s furnace for the winter.

Avoid Fire Hazards

• When space is at a premium, it is tempting to use the furnace closet for storage, but this is a bad idea; boxes of books and clothes are fuel to excess heat or a spark.
• Do not store substances such as paints, thinners, adhesives, or fuels near the furnace, since they are flammable. Fumes can ignite if these items encounter a spark.
• Vacuum excess dust and debris from the vicinity of the furnace.
• Avoid storing anything close to the furnace that can create a fire hazard.

Uncover Vents and Returns

The furnace depends on moving a large quantity of air; a large blower motor twirls a fan, pushing air out into the home and pulling air from the far reaches of the residence.

• If the cold air returns are blocked by drapes or furniture, or
• If the supply vents become blocked by clothes, furniture, or room accessories

The blower motor must work much harder to push/pull the air. This creates stress and excessive wear on the blower motor and related components.

Test the Thermostat

Old thermostats were analog, a simple ON/OFF switch. New thermostats are small, programmable computers with scheduling capabilities. The computer is battery-powered, so be sure to change the batteries annually to ensure the thermostat works all year long; if the batteries fail, anticipate it happening at an inopportune time. In addition, thermostats can be used to:

• Schedule temperature changes overnight—lowering the temperature for comfort and savings—with a buffer in the morning to prepare for the family awakening.
• Schedule temperature changes during the day while the home is vacant. Lowering the temperature strategically can save as much as 10% of the total heating bill.

Plan Maintenance Regularly

Yes, preventative maintenance is a safety factor.

• Changing the air filter is a major key to maintaining indoor air quality. Air filters capture most airborne pathogens along with normal allergy triggers, such as pollen, dander, and dust mites.
• A preventative maintenance visit will avert sudden failure during harsh winter weather. A breakdown can jeopardize family health and damage the home.

Maintenance should be completed by a trained professional to ensure performance and function are maintained.

Annual maintenance for natural gas furnaces is extremely important. These furnaces bring flammable and explosive gas into the home and ignite it in precise mixtures in a burner assembly. The results of combustion produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Each of these gases presents problems for family members.

• Carbon monoxide is toxic and must not enter the house.
• Carbon dioxide, in large quantities, pushes oxygen aside and asphyxiates the occupants.
• The combustion process produces large quantities of water vapor, which is normally a good thing. However, the water also creates rust on the burner assembly and the heat exchanger. The damage caused by rust is gradual, making regular inspections and maintenance necessary.

Call Northwind AC for Furnace Maintenance and Get the Must-Know Tips for Winterizing Your Heater

Northwind Air Conditioning and Heat can help answer your furnace maintenance needs. Contact us and get the help you need.