When your furnace works well, not only will your home be more comfortable, but it will also last longer and save you money on your utility bills. Furnaces eventually break down over time, just like any other equipment. By decreasing wear, you can make your furnace last longer, work faster, and work better.
Everyone who owns a home wants their furnace to work perfectly. Simple heating maintenance can get you there and pay off in comfort, efficiency, and safety. But, as you know, we don’t always think about how to keep our furnaces running well and keep them from breaking down. Continue reading and follow the checklist in this article. This checklist will help you successfully prepare your furnace for the winter season.
Do-It-Yourself Furnace Maintenance Checklist
Maintaining your furnace is important to keep it functioning efficiently. As a homeowner, you may take a few actions to make sure that your furnace remains in good operating condition. Check out this maintenance checklist for you do-it-yourselfers to get ahead of the curve and keep warm and lower your energy expense.
1. Decreasing Your Expenses and Reducing Heat Loss
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Set Your Thermostat to 7°- 10°F for 8 Hours – Save as much as 10% on heating and cooling costs every year by turning your thermostat back from 7°-10°F. Lowering your thermostat temperature 8 hours a day will be easier if you buy a programmable thermostat. Turning down the heating settings at night and then increasing it again in the morning saves a large amount of energy.
Calibrate Your Thermostat – You may be spending lots of money on electricity if your thermostat is not properly adjusted. If dirt gets into your thermostat or if it is unintentionally touched, it might lose its calibration. For the best fuel and cost-efficiency, have your thermostat serviced and calibrated once a year, or use a digital thermostat.
Replace a low-efficiency furnace with a high-efficiency furnace – Replacing your old furnace with a new one will help you save 25% – 30% of your heating energy expenses.
Inspect and Boost Your Insulation – Proper insulation will assist in keeping your home warm during the winter. Moreover, if your insulation is inadequate, your heating system will have to work extra hard come winter.
2. Improving Indoor Air Quality
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Replace Your Furnace Filter – Replacing the filter or cleaning a permanent filter is simple and will get your furnace ready for winter. Using outdated filters puts extra strain on the compressor and might eventually lead to mechanical failure.
Vacuum – Keep the area surrounding your furnace and all other locations dust-free. Clean the area where your furnace works hard to keep you warm using an ordinary vacuum. Vacuuming will help prevent dust from being mixed up and hoisted onto the furnace.
3. Maintenance, Inspection, and Action
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Keep a Performance Log – Make a list of all your items’ model numbers. It’s a good idea to keep them in a file for convenient access. Update the record of your furnace’s performance. This allows you to detect problems as they arise and gives an accurate technique for tracking furnace efficiency.
Test your detectors every 6 months – Inspect your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors every 6 months. Purchasing and spending a few dollars on carbon monoxide detectors could save you and your family.
Unusual sound – Did you hear any unusual sound coming from your furnace? The blower belt may have slid or become frayed. Loud noises may be a sign of a mechanical issue. Keep an ear out for noises like pounding, popping, rattling, and shrieking.
Strange smell – Have you noticed an awful smell like eggs around your furnace? There may be a gas leak. Stale, musty odor? Look if there’s any oil leak. Does iron or metal smell? It can be a sign that the furnace motor is beginning to malfunction.
Inspect your electric ignition or pilot light – The amount of heat that enters your home will be reduced if your pilot light or electric ignition is broken. A gas furnace’s pilot light “may be a warning of excess carbon monoxide if it flickers or turns yellow.”
Test your furnace safety measure – In the case of a serious emergency, a proper shut-off is ensured by purposefully tripping and resetting safety controls.
Furnace Maintenance FAQs
Most homes understand the importance of seasonal HVAC system maintenance, but there are several issues that might cause hesitation when scheduling this service. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding maintenance on your home’s heating system.
IS FURNACE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED IF YOU’RE NOT EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES?
Your seasonal furnace maintenance is a preventative service to prevent issues from happening. If any system adjustments are required, we want to discover them before any performance problems occur, and a seasonal tune-up provides us with that opportunity.
DOES YOUR FURNACE NEED TO BE SERVICED EVERY YEAR?
Your furnace will last longer and save you money if you have it checked out once a year and keep it clean and in good working order. Furnace makers recommend that a technician check and fix the furnace once a year. Some people in the HVAC business say that if your furnace is less than 10 years old, you only need to clean it every other year. But if they are older, have them serviced once a year.
SHOULD YOU SCHEDULE HVAC MAINTENANCE IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ISSUES?
A heating system tune-up should be conducted on a system that is not suffering serious performance difficulties. If you are experiencing operational issues, it may be advisable to arrange a service appointment to determine the source of the problem. If you are confused about the sort of appointment you require, Non-Stop Air would be pleased to assist you in determining the best service type you need.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR FURNACE SERVICED ONCE A YEAR?
If you don’t take care of your furnace, it could stop working at any time, leaving your family out in the cold. It could get worse and cost more over time.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FURNACE FILTER ISN’T CHANGED?
To get the most out of your furnace and keep your utilities in good shape, it is very important to check and change your air filter. You should change the air filter at least once every three months. You can also check with the manufacturer’s instructions. If your air filter is clogged, it will slow down the flow of air and let pollen, dust, and other pollutants into your home.
Changing your furnace filter will:
- Make your furnace last longer
- Reduce energy bills
- Improve the quality of the air inside
- Avoid overheating or short cycling
- Temperature regulation
WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS DURING A FURNACE TUNE-UP?
At Non-Stop Air, our complete heating inspection includes a comprehensive review of each of the following heating components:
- Check all wiring & connections and tighten if necessary
- Inspect fan blower & belts
- Check safety controls
- Inspect contactor & relays
- Check operation temperatures & pressures
- Inspect condenser coil and evaporator coil
- Ensure that condensate drain is functioning
- Calibrate the thermostat operation
- Replace standard filters
- Check refrigerant charge
- Check electric elements
- Provide a list of recommendations if necessary
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SCHEDULE FURNACE MAINTENANCE?
Regardless of the fact that it is still hot outdoors, Non Stop Air is ready to schedule and conduct your furnace tune-up right away! You’ll be ahead of the Florida winter and prepared for a nice heating season if you schedule your furnace maintenance appointment in August and September.
Rely on the Best Heating Maintenance Expert
Even though, your do-it-yourself furnace maintenance advice may help ensure your unit is operating as intended, you should not neglect the value of a professional tune-up and preventative maintenance plan.
Our Non-Stop Air Maintenance Plan is meant to keep your heating equipment functioning at peak efficiency. All manufacturers recommend doing yearly preventative maintenance on your heating system. Clearly, the benefit to you as a customer is that it extends the life of your equipment.
