Four easy tips to keep your furnace as its best
With winter right around the corner and temperatures beginning to drop, there is no better time to get your furnace prepped and ready to get you through the cold months ahead. There are some simple steps you can take now to avoid headaches or worse down the line.
1. Service your furnace
As the cold weather approaches, take the opportunity to service your furnace before you ever even turn it on. The wait for service will be shorter and problems can be pre-empted and avoided if they’re dealt with before they become issues. Nothing is worse than turning on your furnace on the first freezing day of the year and have it not work, only to be one of countless people who will inevitably be calling furnace companies to help get their furnace working.
Even if you’ve already turned your furnace on for the season, it’s not too late to have it serviced to make sure it’s working properly. Troubleshooting potential problems is the best way to minimize the risk of being in a house without heat on the coldest night of the year. We recommend you have your furnace serviced annually.
2. Change your filter
One of the simplest ways to keep your furnace performing properly is to change (or clean if you have a reusable one) your filter often. A good rule to follow is to change your filter before you turn your furnace on for the winter season and again before you turn your air conditioning on in the warmer months. In high construction areas it’s best to change out your filter more often. Filters should be changed, at minimum, every six months.
3. Turn on winter cycle
It is easy to forget but vital to put your furnace on winter cycle. This will keep the fan from running constantly and unnecessary through the winter months.
4. Tidy up your furnace room
Finally and perhaps most importantly, it is imperative to remember to keep the area in and around your furnace completely clean of debris. We often see furnace rooms that double as storage rooms. This is a dangerous fire hazard and should be avoided at all costs.
There a few things better than opening up the door to your warm house on a cold winter day. Taking these easy steps to keep your furnace functioning efficiently and properly now is giving yourself the best chance to avoid problems later.