Your furnace is essential to helping keep your home warm during the often frigid winter months. While most modern furnaces are built to last and operate without much care, it is still important to regularly maintain them to help lengthen the life of the furnace as well as make sure it is running optimally. Proper maintenance can also help you eliminate costly repairs or even having to replace the entire thing.
Keep It Clean
Keeping your furnace clean is one of the fundamental things you can do to help keep it maintained. Just like an HVAC unit, the filter in your furnace should be replaced on a regular basis. Find out what size filter you have, and then purchase several so you can replace them at regular intervals when needed. A good rule of thumb is to put in a new filter at the beginning of the winter season, and then replace it regularly monthly while your furnace is being used.
Check Your Pilot Light
If you have a gas furnace, the pilot light is the integral part that keeps it working. If the light goes out, you won't have any heat. Sometimes, pilot lights go out because there is a draft in the room that happens to blow them out, but in some cases it could be due to a maintenance issue. Your pilot light has a small opening where the gas exits. If this opening becomes clogged, it won't light. Be sure you turn the gas off, and then using a small pin or wire, push into the valve or opening to clear any debris. Turn your gas back on and try to light it. This is a common reason that pilot lights stop working that can be remedied fairly easily.
Oil Furnace Maintenance
An oil furnace uses oil as its energy source rather than gas, and maintaining it is very important. Several components of these types of furnaces should be cleaned at least once a year including the blower, the thermostat, the stack control, and the chimney. If soot from the furnace builds up, it can cause any number of components to clog or become blocked, resulting in damage or a non-working furnace. These types of furnaces also use oil filters, which should be cleaned regularly.
Other Maintenance
Here are some other things you can do to maintain your furnace:
- Keep blower motors properly lubricated.
- Vacuum any dust or buildup from around registers.
- Ensure the flue is free of gaps, cracks, or other damage which can result in heat loss.
- Be sure burners are in optimum condition and are not corroded.
Talk to places like Robert Bair Plumbing Heating & Air for more information and maintenance tips.
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