The furnace is undoubtedly among the most crucial elements in your home. A properly maintained system can generate maximum heat to your home without causing energy wastage or the risk of dangerous emissions. Therefore, to ensure your furnace operates efficiently and safely during winter, regular maintenance is essential. Here are five tips on how to appropriately maintain your furnace before winter.
Have your ducts checked
Leaks might start to occur in your air ducts over the summer and spring if the pipes start developing small cracks, or become disconnected or loose. Subsequently, these gaps prevent the heated air from getting to your living room area. You should, therefore, hire the services of a professional from Doc’s HVAC in St. Charles to prevent any wastage of the heat you are paying for, check your air ducts.
Replace the furnace filter
To ensure your furnace is operating efficiently and correctly, the most vital and simplest task you need to do is to replace the air filter on a monthly basis. Thus, you should always have a stock of new air filters ready to be used for heating during the winter season. Moreover, carry out a monthly inspection of these filters, replacing it after every 30 to 60 days if necessary. Doing this is essential because a blocked furnace filter allows dirt, debris and dust to gain entry into the system. Consequently, this results in an increased chance of failures, avoidable wear and tear of the components, shortened equipment lifespan, compromised efficiency of your system and deterioration of indoor air quality.
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Confirm the thermostat is functioning properly
Adjust your thermostat’s setting from cooling to heating, and then verify the fan is set to AUTO. Subsequently, increase the temperature setting to several degrees above the present room temperature, and the heat should take effect in less than a minute. In case the temperature does not increase, take out the thermostat and inspect the wire connections. However, you should first switch off the unit before making any alteration to the wires and then tighten up all loose connections. If this also fails to work or the connections were already tightened, confirm the HVAC’s system power source is switched on and functioning.
Have a professional inspect the furnace before winter
Schedule annual maintenance of the system by hiring a qualified HVAC specialist. The expert will then carry out a thorough cleaning and inspection of all the furnace’s components, repair any issue before it becomes serious, replace the air filter as well as inspect for safety hazards and leaks. Detecting minor repairs early on helps avoid any inconvenience and more severe renovations during winter. Furthermore, regularly maintaining your system prolongs the life of the furnace and increases the efficiency of your system. Several manufacturers require you to carry out annual maintenance for the warranty to remain valid.
Remove all items stored close to the air ducts, return vents and the furnace
Storing things around your furnace prevents the system from operating effectively and might create safety hazards. Thus, you must resist any temptation to use space surrounding the furnace for storage. Additionally, remove items stored in the furnace room or near the furnace as well as things on or in front of return air vents and registers. Consequently, vacuum the areas in and around the registers and vents to guarantee they are not clogged.