Basic Furnace Maintenance

Furnaces slowly degrade over time, becoming less and less efficient at heating the air and distributing it around your home. In order to slow this decay you can take basic maintenance steps, which will keep your furnace running at its maximum potential.

The best advice that we can offer you is get your furnace inspected and tuned-up at least once a year. It’s relatively inexpensive and can mean the difference between a comfortable home over the winter and a potentially disastrous breakage, leaving you without heat. As well, keeping your furnace tuned-up means that it’s more efficient which can reduce your overall utility bill.

There are some basic inspections you can make that will allow you to see if your furnace is running effectively.

If you have an external thermometer on your furnace make sure it is calibrated properly. This is easily enough to do with handheld thermometer, check the ambient temperature in the house and compare it to what the furnace thermometer reads. If they are different, it could mean that your furnace isn’t calibrated right and could be turning on even when it doesn’t need to be. Call your furnace technicians who will know how to calibrate the thermometer.

Check your vents for clogs, blockages, or holes. How many times have you reached your hand up to a vent while the furnace is on and noticed there wasn’t much air coming out. This could be caused by a blockage or clog. Having your vents cleaned should be done at least annually and makes for more even heat distribution around your home.

Check the heat exchanger for damage, rust, or dents. The heat exchanger is an exceptionally important part of the furnace system, so any damage to it can totally undermine your furnace’s efficiency. If you notice any damage call your local furnace experts to bring your furnace back to working effectively.

Report any odd sounds or system failures immediately. Furnaces can potentially be dangerous if they aren’t working properly, and with most mechanical systems they will slowly decay. It’s safer to contact a trained service technician to make sure your furnace is safe than to tempt fate with a potential disaster.