Before you turn on your furnace for the season, you must ensure it will perform well and keep your house warm. You can use these helpful tips to maintain your heating system for the winter.
1. Replace the Filters
One of the foremost tasks you should remember before you turn on your heat involves changing your furnace’s air filters. Clean air filters help your heating system work more efficiently.
They also help maintain good air quality inside your home. When you change them, you should ensure you use high-quality filters from a trustworthy brand and also ensure they are the right size for your particular heating system.
2. Test the Thermostat
You should also test the thermostat when you maintain your heater. To test it, first turn off the furnace and remove the thermostat cover. Unscrew the wires from its terminal, twist together the two wires’ bare ends and then turn the furnace back on.
You can tell your thermostat functions normally if the system’s blower comes on and the burner ignites. Otherwise, you need to hire an HVAC technician to repair or replace your thermostat.
3. Inspect the Ductwork
During your maintenance, you should examine the system’s ductwork for signs of damage like punctures and cracks. These openings can let in cold air and moisture and make your house feel colder. Damaged ductwork can also cause your furnace to work harder and increase your energy bills.
To seal the ducts effectively, you should use a durable material like mastic tape. Mastic tape is flexible and provides added insulation to your ductwork. It also holds up well in cold and precipitation.
4. Clean the Vents and Register
Cleaning the vents and register in your heating system helps it function better during the winter. You should use a vacuum to remove dust and dirt built up inside the vents and clean the register with a damp cloth or broom. This tip can also improve your home’s indoor air quality.
5. Check the Blower Motor
The blower motor can develop a number of issues that impede both its function and the effectiveness of your heater. As you inspect it, you should look for problems like weak or no airflow coming from the vents and unusual noises. If they occur, you can hire an HVAC technician to repair or replace the blower motor in your furnace.
6. Inspect Your Heat Exchanger
You can also check your heat exchanger to ensure it works properly. This inspection should include looking for rust spots, discoloration or visible cracks.
If your heat exchanger has cracks in it, you might see soot or water at the base of your furnace. You also need to pay attention to any unusual smells, such as the odor of gas or burning, coming from it. Unusual odors can hint at a bigger problem occurring with your heat exchanger.
7. Lubricate Moving Parts
Lubricating moving parts in your furnace plays a key role in helping the entire system work better. It also prevents parts in the motor from scraping against each other, which can reduce the parts’ effectiveness and cause them to wear out faster.
Keeping these moving parts lubricated likewise can help extend the life of your heating system. You can apply two or three drops of motor oil on each part to lubricate it.
8. Check the Pilot Light
The pilot light in your furnace should have a blue flame. If it has an orange or yellow flame, it could indicate a problem like a clogged air intake valve. You could also have a gas leak that needs immediate repairs. If the flame looks bluish-green, it could indicate a buildup of dirt or dust in the gas flue.
9. Test the Safety Controls
When you maintain your heating system, you should test its safety controls. Testing the safety controls reduces dangers like gas leaks and the risk of fires.
To test them, you need to turn off the furnace’s power and locate the limit switch. You then should carefully remove the wires, set the multimeter to the continuity setting and touch one probe to each terminal located on the limit switch to check for continuity. You will also need to look for visible signs of damage like burn marks when testing the safety controls.
10. Clean the Outdoor Unit
Your seasonal maintenance should also include cleaning the outdoor unit. By removing debris like leaves and grass clippings, you help your furnace work more efficiently. You can also protect your home’s air quality and keep your utility bills more affordable by following this tip.
11. Clean Around the Furnace
Keeping the area around the furnace clean can likewise help your system run more efficiently. Items like cardboard boxes and stacks of magazines or clothing can catch on fire. You can help your system function more efficiently and reduce the risk of fire by cleaning out clutter that you might have piled in the same space as your furnace.
12. Check for Carbon Monoxide Leaks
You cannot visibly detect or smell the presence of carbon monoxide coming from your heater. Still, if your system has a CO leak, it can put you and your family at serious risk.
Installing a CO detector in your home provides you with the most effective way to tell if your unit has this kind of leak. If your detector goes off when you turn on your heater, you need to call an HVAC technician immediately to find and repair the leak.
13. Seal Openings Around the Windows and Doors
Gaps around your windows and doors let in cold air and moisture and act against your furnace’s efficiency. You can keep out drafts and precipitation by sealing these openings. To seal them, you can use a material like an acrylic latex caulk. It resists absorbing moisture and holds up well in cold weather.
14. Test the Emergency Heat Setting
If your thermostat has an emergency heat setting, you will want to test it when you maintain your heating system. To test it, you should turn up the thermostat temperature by at least five degrees to activate this setting.
Let it run for a few minutes and then check the thermostat reading. If this setting works effectively, you will see your indoor temperature increase by 25 to 30 degrees above the ambient indoor air temperature.
15. Schedule a Seasonal Tune-up
You can also ensure your heating system works normally by scheduling a seasonal tune-up for it. The HVAC technician who maintains it will check important components like its coils and drain. Your technician will also inspect and service key parts like the gas line, heat exchanger, moving fan parts and thermostat to minimize the risk of your system breaking down and needing costly repairs.
Contact Us for Your Home’s Furnace Maintenance
Our business has 28 years of experience providing furnace maintenance and other HVAC services to home and business owners in the Lincoln and Omaha service areas. We have won numerous industry awards from organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Lennox. Our team at John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical has the experience and resources to take care of your furnace’s seasonal tune-up. Contact us to learn more about our heating system maintenance services today!
