In Colorado we spend most of the year enjoying some of the best weather in the country, but when the seasons change and the cold starts to turn bitter you want to make sure your furnace is performing at its peak. Some HVAC Systems run the AC and the furnace off of the same system, and in some homes those units are completely separate. Whatever the case may be in your home there are some easy steps you can take to make sure your furnace is all set for winter. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list, and there are still several things not mentioned you can be doing to prepare for winter. We recommend setting up an appointment with one of our experts to tune up and inspect your furnace.
Digital Thermostat
1) The first step in checking your furnace would be to walk over to the digital thermostat and increase the temperature until you can hear the furnace click on and begin circulating hot air. If after a few minutes you don’t hear anything happen, then there may be some additional troubleshooting necessary on the unit itself. Some homeowners feel comfortable checking wiring themselves but if you feel uncomfortable with the process then don’t hesitate to call our team over at The WireNut.
Air Filters
2) Step two after you have determined that the furnace is functional would be to change out the air filters. The filters are there to make sure we are not breathing in dust and other particles throughout the day, and as you can imagine these air filters can get incredibly dusty after awhile. Sometimes the filter is behind a central vent in the house, and sometimes the vent is located on the furnace itself. Most systems require an inexpensive paper filter which you throw away after it has outlived its usefulness, but some newer systems have a plastic filter which you can just run under water to remove the dust and then reinstall. Keeping the filters rotated will ultimately increase the life and efficiency of your furnace.
Cleaning Your Heat Exchanger
3) Step three is cleaning the heat exchanger inside of the furnace. Cleaning a heat exchanger can be fairly technical if you have never done it, so if you are in any way uncomfortable then give us a call to set up an appointment for a furnace tune up. If you want to clean the heat exchanger yourself, just follow these simple steps and you will be well on your way. Turn off the furnace and disconnect the power supply, then wipe any dirt off of the heat exchanger with a brush or damp cloth and vacuum the excess dirt away. The process only takes a few minutes, but the biggest thing you need to remember is disconnecting that power supply so you are working in the safest environment possible.
Furnaces are complex machines that require care and maintenance, especially in areas where dust and debri build up. Our full furnace tune up includes a multi point inspection to ensure that your furnace is performing at the optimal level all winter long. Give The WireNut a call today!
