You love having your furnace keeping nice and toasty during those frigid winter nights. Until you find that it’s not working, and you have to bundle up with your jacket, thermal underwear, extra socks, and thick blankets until you can get an expert from furnace maintenance services to come fix the thing.
There are things that you can do to keep that furnace working pretty smoothly until it needs servicing. Here are several tips for doing just that:
Clean Or Replace Your Filter
While your furnace is doing its job, a lot of things would love to make their way up to your home. They include dust, bacteria, dust mites, spores, pollen, and pet dander. Your furnace has a filter in it that keeps those things from getting through. But that filter can get clogged, which will diminish its effectiveness by a lot. Regally check on your furnace throughout the course of the winter and replace it when it’s clogged.
Check The Blower Motor
Your furnace has a blower motor that drives the fan that sends the air from the furnace. You need to make sure that it’s well-maintained and working correctly. Otherwise, it could lead to a lot of problems with your furnace. One of the main signs that this is a problem is that your furnace is very noisy. If you hear shrill sounds, then it means two metal surfaces are grinding against each other. If it’s the case, you need to have a technician come look at it and repair it.
Seal Up Any Weakness In Your Home’s Structure
If there are cracks or other things in your home, it can let cold air in. That will add to the heating load that the furnace is using to try to warm up your place. Have a professional seal up any problem areas to make things easier for the furnace to keep your home nice and warm. They can determine where those areas are by using infrared cameras to see where the cold air is coming through.
Check Your Vents
All the vents in your home have to be clear in order for your furnace to work properly. Make sure that nothing in your place is blocking them, like boxes or furniture. Otherwise, all of the air is not going to be flowing freely through your place and the furnace will be working too hard.
If You Have A Gas Furnace, Make Sure The Exhaust Flue Is Clear
This is very important, because if it’s not, the gas could make its way back into your home. This gas is carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. If it’s building up in your home and not being sent outside, it could put you at risk of having headaches, dizziness, fatigue and ultimately collapsing and dying. If you feel any of those symptoms and have a gas furnace, immediately contact an expert.
Keep Flammable Objects Away
Your furnace is fueled by fire. You want to keep other things that can go up in flames away from it. That means keeping storage containers with things like paint, gasoline, clothes, and other flammable things away from them.
Make Sure The Heating System Vents & Ductwork Are Clean
Just like the filters, you want to make sure that the air they are clean of things like debris or pet hair. Make sure that there’s nothing that can fall into the vents and reduce how effective the furnace is.
It may seem like a lot, but you just need to get into the habit of doing these things. Before you know it, it will be second nature, and you will have a fully functional furnace that will work for a long time.
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