Fine-tuning your furnace is a necessary step for any home as this is the most helpful heating appliance to keep you and your family warm. Before temperatures drop significantly, it’s the best time to conduct the necessary cleaning and maintenance tasks for them to work without trouble. Winter is the coldest time of the year, and it’s best to welcome the season well-prepared.
Aside from ensuring that your furnace works perfectly, doing the proper maintenance and TLC for your furnace contributes to prolonging their lifespan. You can also maximize their energy efficiency, and all these benefits somehow lead to cost savings.
Get ready to take advantage of your furnace’s optimal performance by administering the following maintenance and cleaning tasks:
- Check Your Burner Flames
It’s often suggested to check your furnace at the start and end of the heating season. When winter is approaching, inspecting your heating appliances is the first best thing to protect your loved ones from the cold. Start with the burner flames of your furnace and ensure that they’re running well. Unplug your furnace first. Then, unscrew the combustion chamber door. You may unscrew to dismantle it temporarily while you inspect it thoroughly.
Once you’ve seen the inside of the burner, turn it on and increase the temperature. This way, you should observe the burner’s flames from a reasonable distance. Ideally, they should be blue in color and even in pattern. A yellow color indicates a dirty burner. When you see this color, it’s best to turn it off and clean the furnace.
There’s an option to contact professionals for furnace inspections too. Contact Furnace Repair Colorado Springs contractors if you live within the area. No one can beat the pros when dealing with the technicalities of a furnace. Moreover, you can count on them to ensure that vents and drains are correctly angled and fastened. If there are any problems with your system, a comprehensive inspection will reveal them.
- Deep Clean Your Furnace
Cleaning is a significant part of most furnace maintenance tasks. To keep the furnace working properly, you should clear out any debris and dust accumulated inside. Some other dirt and particles may have gotten their way inside the furnace all through the different seasons. So, it’s best to clean all sections of it.
Shut off the gas valve and turn off the power first. Then, clean all the dust from the burners and at the furnace’s base with a vacuum cleaner. The presence of black powder inside your furnace’s cavities might indicate an issue.
You may have a squirrel-cage blower in your furnace, which is prone to get clogged with dust and dirt. It’s best to deal with this part and clean it too. First, you have to remove the screws and the blower, then clean as you dismantle everything. You can use a brush to dust off the blower. Keeping your furnace system in good working order involves proper cleaning and dusting. Remember to be careful with the small and sensitive parts, so use the brush and vacuum cleaner.
- Replace Or Clean The Furnace Filter
There are many gadgets to help you survive winter, but one of the most crucial is preparing and conditioning your furnace. One of the essential components of your furnace is the filters. They prevent dust, dirt, and other airborne contaminants from entering the furnace and damaging its components. Depending on its kind, the furnace filter should be cleaned or changed at least every one to three months. However, note that some filters can’t be cleaned and should only be replaced.
Most indoor air is circulated through the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning or HVAC system. Therefore, it’s usually a good idea to spend a little more on a furnace filter that not only safeguards the appliance but also improves indoor air quality by trapping bacteria, pollen, and mildew, as well as mold and mildew spores. Depending on the type of furnace you have, you may be required to clean both oil and air filters.
- Go Through A Professional Routine Checkup
Sure, you can discover many tips to troubleshoot your furnace, but if you lack the time and the handyman skills, it’s best to leave this task to the professionals. Since you have a mechanical system in your furnace, it is essential to inspect the system annually to ensure that its components are in good working order. One tiny glitch can cause more significant damages, so it’s best to get them fine-tuned and checked yearly.
Many homeowners think it is acceptable to skip maintenance if the system is only a year or two old. However, this last tip is necessary to ensure that your furnace’s mechanics won’t be overlooked. It might be challenging to perform these cleaning and maintenance tasks with your hectic schedules. Hence, it’s best to rely on the professionals to do them for you.
Conclusion
Preventive maintenance is vital for a furnace to function and last for many years fully. It would be best to repair any minor problems as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming larger ones. Remember to apply the maintenance and cleaning advice above so you and your family can enjoy a warm indoor atmosphere and cleaner air in this winter season.
