6 Furnace Maintenance Tips For Fall
Whenever autumn comes, you can instantly feel it.
Children go back to school, nature changes our environment and we all notice a drop in temperatures.
Everything changes and amid all of those changes, the last thing for you to worry about should be your furnace.
Naturally, you should do everything in your power to prevent it from breaking down mid-season before the winter.
Thankfully, furnace maintenance has been around for generations.
It's an easy thing to check off your To Do list -- at least for us it is -- and will ensure furnace longevity.
Below we highlight 6 must-know furnace maintenance tips for Fall.
Let's get right into it.
Fall Furnace Tip 1: Tune Up Your Furnace
Call a professional HVAC company near you just before the start of the heating season and have them tune up your furnace.
As a best practice, this is something you should be doing at least once a year.
This is how you will make sure that all those small issues are being handled before they cause a bigger one.
Remember this is an important Fall furnace tip that every property manager should follow.
You can expect your chosen furnace maintenance company to clean and replace furnace filters, calibrate your thermostat, test the safety switches, check the heating operations, clean and tighten the connections, clean your burners, and test the limit switches.
Depending on whom you are looking to hire, you will get a different quote for reimbursement.
Fall Furnace Tip 2: Cleaning Is Key
The biggest part of maintaining the health of your furnace is to keep it clean during its lifespan.
All you need to do is focus on removing the dirt from inside the furnace.
Before you start cleaning it, make sure that the furnace is turned off and cooled down.
We even advise that you plug it out completely.
If you have a gas furnace, shut off the gas valve so you can work without any worries.
After that, take a vacuum and clean all of the dust and dirt that has accumulated over a period of time.
Clean the blades and the fan, preferably with a wet cloth, then a dry cloth.
Once you are done with the cleaning bit, remember to avoid placing any obstacles that can obstruct the flow of heat in your unit.
This will only make your furnace work twice as hard to achieve the necessary temperature.
Fall Furnace Tip 3: Checking For Holes And Corrosion
Make sure to check the combustion chamber for any holes or corrosion as you are cleaning.
This is especially important if you are dealing with a gas chamber.
These furnaces can create carbon monoxide and release it into the home.
Even though this is a gas that is odourless and colourless, it is usually released outside, but if there are any cracks, then it will be released into the home.
This is why it is very important to check for cracks inside the combustion chamber.
Also, when it comes to your furnace unit, you should also check for loose joints too.
If you start noticing some strange behavior or some bubbling or peeling paint, make sure to check this with your HVAC professional whenever they come for the regular tune-up.
When it comes to carbon monoxide, even though you can’t detect it yourself, you can always get some help!
All you need to do is install the detectors in your home and surely enough, they will alert you when and if the gas level is becoming dangerously high.
In case this happens, all you need to do is shut down the entire furnace unit, open all of the windows in your home, and step outside.
Finally, you will need to call a professional too, so they could take a look at the furnace.
Fall Furnace Tip 4: Replace Your HVAC Filters
Before you turn on your furnace for the first time in the new season, make sure to change the air filter first.
Now, until the heating season lasts, you will need to change the filter of the furnace about one to three times.
There is something you should keep in mind here.
Even if the filter is of excellent quality, the dust can still accumulate around the blower fan of the furnace.
This is why it is an excellent idea to turn off the furnace every month or so during the winter months and check it and clean it on the inside.
If you are unsure of how to do this, you can either look for some online how-to tutorials, or you can contact a furnace installation/furnace maintenance company near you and let them do the job.
Fall Furnace Tip 5: Check The Pilot Light Of The Furnace
If you are dealing with a gas-powered furnace, you need to be careful and frequently check your pilot light.
The pilot light should always have a steady blue color (a flame) with the edges turning slightly orange.
Remember that this light should never flicker, or have a lot of orange and yellow hues.
These colours mean that the gas is not burned in an efficient way.
This could also mean there is a dirty pilot tube.
So, there are several reasons for a warm flickering light.
If you start noticing this, all you need to do is contact a professional furnace maintenance company that can help you and maintain the proper functioning of your HVAC system.
Fall Furnace Tip 6: Clean Out The Vents And Ducts
Last but not least, make sure to thoroughly vacuum the vents and the ducts around the home.
You don't have to call a professional cleaning service. All you need to do is remove the dust, debris, or toys from the vents.
This is how you will ensure the furnace is not working twice as hard to achieve the desired temperature.
You can also vacuum the register covers too.
What you need to remember is that, even if you follow these rules, the furnace has a lifespan of about 15 to 20 years.
If you have done your bit and have frequently maintained the system, and it still fails you, then you might want to check how long have you been using the unit.
After all, it might be time for an upgrade!
If you have any questions about furnace repair or furnace installation feel free to call us at 416-543-0641 or chat with us in near real-time on our Facebook fan page.
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