As the fall weather starts to cool everything down, many homeowners are getting ready to turn on their heating systems for the winter. Smart homeowners know that there are some necessary steps that they need to take to ensure that their system works efficiently and safely. If you’re a new homeowner or are interested in learning how to extend the overall lifespan of your furnace and drastically reduce your risk of experiencing a breakdown, then you need to be following the tips below.
Clear Out Your Furnace Space
First and foremost, you want to start your wintertime heating prep by assessing the space where your furnace is at. Over the summertime, it’s not uncommon to store a box or two near your furnace because you know that it isn’t working. However, before you start your heater, you need to ensure that all items are at least 10 feet away from it.
Any items like cardboard, paint cans, and so forth are flammable. You risk a fire developing if you leave these items within a 10-foot vicinity of your furnace. While you’re clearing the area, pay special attention to any unwanted leaks, system dents, and so forth.
Switch Your Thermostat Settings
Next, it’s time to head up to your thermostat and switch it from cooling to heating. If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, then it’s time to program your desired wintertime settings. If you still have an old dial thermostat, it’s highly recommended that you upgrade to a more energy-efficient programmable or smart thermostat.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to set your household temperature to 10 degrees colder when you’re not going to be at home. For example, have it decrease in temperature about 30 minutes before you leave in the morning and while you’re at work. Then, set your thermostat to return to your desired temperature just before you arrive back home. Also, consider turning the temperature down in the overnight hours for even more energy savings.
Change Your Air Filter
Your HVAC system will have an air filter that works to trap unwanted airborne particles like dust and pollen. This works to enhance the overall quality of your indoor air. This filter needs to be replaced as part of your wintertime heating system maintenance. Otherwise, your heating system will have to work much harder to push air through the filter.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
It’s imperative that you call an HVAC professional to perform maintenance on your heating system annually. This is vital for two reasons. First, a professional has the right equipment and knowledge to do the job correctly every time. Second, most furnace manufacturers require that you have a professional perform service annually on your system to maintain its warranty coverage.
A professional will perform various maintenance tasks to prep your heating system to take on the chilly winter months. These include cleaning your heat exchanger, lubricating your blower motor, checking belts, testing the igniter switch, ensuring proper exhaust venting, and replacing your oil filter and nozzle.
Put Batteries in Detectors and Alarms
Before you start your heating system for its wintertime run, it’s best to ensure that your home is properly monitoring the safety of your family. You can do this by installing fresh batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms. It’s very easy to let the batteries get low and simply pull them out of your detectors when they’re beeping and forget to go back and replace them.
Clean and Inspect Vents and Registers
Another necessary aspect of prepping your heater for the winter is making sure that your ductwork allows for great airflow. It’s not uncommon to place items like furniture in front of your vents and registers. Now is the time to go around to each room and remove any items that are within a three-foot radius of your vents and registers.
While you’re inspecting these, you’ll want to give them a good washing. Some vents and registers pop right out of the wall or floor so that you can easily wash them. Others will need to be sucked clean with a vacuum. It’s good practice to clean your vents at least once a month to remove any stuck-on debris.
Schedule Fuel Delivery
Whether you have an existing or new heating system installation that is fueled by propane or heating oil, then you’ll likely need to store your fuel on-site. These storage tanks can be placed outside or in your basement. It’s necessary to call and schedule a new fuel delivery so that your system has adequate fuel to run when you need it. Scheduling automatic refilling is a great way to prevent your system from running out of fuel on a cold winter’s night.
Get Your Ductwork Professionally Cleaned
If you have a ducted heating system, also known as forced air, then you rely on it to deliver air throughout all the rooms of your home. Over time, dirt and other debris can find their way into your ductwork and partially clog it. This can reduce the efficiency of your heating system as it has to work harder to get air delivered throughout your home.
It’s highly recommended that you get your ductwork cleaned by a professional every two to five years. While they’re cleaning it, they will likely also seal any cracks or loose joints that they find along the way. Both duct cleaning and sealing will ensure that your ductwork is delivering maximal air capacity to the rooms throughout your home.
Clear Your Drainage Tube
f your furnace is powered by natural gas or propane, the combustion process creates water. Some of this water exists your system via steam that is blown out of the exhaust flue. However, some of this moisture drains down into the drain pan that is shared with your air conditioning system.
This drain pan is connected to a drainage tube that is typically drained to the outside of your home. If this drainage tube becomes clogged, it can cause moisture to back up into your manifold and eventually stop your flame sensor from properly working. This will shut your heater off and won’t allow it to restart.
You can clear this drainage tube by simply forcing a mixture of white vinegar and water down it. Make sure that you monitor the exterior drainage tube exit to ensure that water is freely able to flow out of it.
Switch Your Ceiling Fans
Another necessary home checkup before winter is to switch your ceiling fans to turn in a clockwise direction. This will force the heated air in each room upward, outward, and back down to the floor. By recirculating the heat in your home via ceiling fans, you can help to reduce the strain on your heater and save money on your heating bills.
If you’re like most homeowners, you rely on your heater to get your family and home safely through the cold winter months. By performing the maintenance steps that we went over above, you can help drastically reduce your risk of having an unexpected repair this winter season. And you can ensure that your heater is running efficiently so that your energy bills stay in check.