Brace yourself, chilly fall days are coming, and they’ll soon have you dusting off the thermostat and preparing the heater. Before the cold begins to settle in on us, it is a good idea to inspect your home’s heating system. A clean and properly functioning system not only saves you money on fuel but prolongs its life as well! An annual inspection is the best way to make sure that your furnace works correctly and is safe to use so make sure to give the heating services a call. If your boiler is not working properly, then you should consider getting a boiler repair as soon as possible.

There are maintenance steps that you should leave to a service professional, and there are several that you can handle quite easily on your own.

Safety First: Start out by switching off the electrical power and fuel supply. Do NOT remove any burners or stick anything into the pilot hole. Misaligned burners can allow gas to build up, causing a flash fire. If the pilot hole is widened, it will turn into a flamethrower!

Replace The Filter

The simplest way to keep your furnace in top shape is by changing out the filter. A dirty filter can clog your furnace to the point where it is ineffective for heating your home. At the very minimum, furnace filters should be replaced every three months. During the winter, all the air that everyone in your house breathes comes through your furnace filter! It can help to capture microscopic particles like smoke and smog and large allergens like mold spores and pollen from the air.

Examine Blower Doors

Your furnace’s blower doors ensure that combustion gasses produced by your heating system (especially lethal carbon monoxide) exit your home safely without putting you at risk. The blower door on your furnace needs to seal properly to ensure safety.

Inspect Entire Exhaust System

Just like blower doors, your furnace’s exhaust system keeps combustible gasses out of your living space.  Start by checking your exhaust flue by removing the flue’s roof cap and look down the flue and chimney, making sure that it is clear of any obstructions. Make sure that all the connections from the furnace to the roof cap are securely fastened.  Reseal and leaky connections with flame retardant metal tape or high-temperature silicone.  

Inspect all of the exhaust vent pipes. Patch any small holes with metal tape as mentioned above.  If you see any white powdery residue, that can be an indication of corrosion. This is best remedied by completely replacing the corroded sections.  Finally, inspect the area around your furnace. Keep your paper products, boxes, aerosols and other flammable products away from your furnace, especially if it is in a small room.

Helpful Hint:  If your furnace or water heater is in an enclosed room or closet, make sure that they get plenty of air. Both these appliances need ten cubic feet of air for one cubic foot of natural gas to operate properly. Make sure your furnace rooms or closets have door louvers, vents or a duct directly outside to provide sufficient combustion air.

Inspect Vents That Supply Heat To House

Your home’s vent system is designed to make sure that the air inside your home circulates properly. If your vents are not allowing air to flow, your furnace will have to work extra hard to heat all of the areas of the home evenly.

Remove the grates from your vents and make sure that there aren’t any obstructions. Vacuum out any dust, pet hair, crumbs or whatever else has fallen in, all of which will reduce the heating system’s efficiency. Inspect all the sections of your vent system for punctures, dents or disconnected parts. Damaged ducts can raise your heating bills by blowing wasted warm air.

Check Your Thermostat

Older thermostats use mercury to measure temperature. However, this method is not an accurate way to measure and maintain a particular temperature for your home.

Since newer thermostats are digital, they are much more precise when setting temperature. Updating to a digital model not only ensures accurate temperature levels. They also have mechanisms that can be programmed to control when the heater comes on and turns off and at what temperature.

Wrap Up

Like it or not, cold temperatures will soon be here. To make sure that you and yours stay nice and warm for the long winter months ahead, take some time now to inspect and maintain your heating system. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to at http:www.koopmanlumber.com or visit one of our conveniently located retail stores. Our friendly and helpful staff have the knowledge and experience to equip you with all of the supplies and know-how you’ll need to keep your heating system cranking right along all winter long.