How To Maintain A Furnace From Season To Season

by Sudarsan
Maintain-A-Furnace

Your furnace can be the primary source of your household’s energy consumption. Especially if it’s outdated or unmaintained, your furnace could make your energy bill soar high. That’s because they’re no longer working efficiently if they need some repairs or cleaning. But if you maintain your furnace, you can ensure that it’ll be efficient throughout the year. With such, here are some maintenance tips you must consider:

1. Let The Professionals Handle The Job

Sooner or later, your furnace will require some mechanical maintenance. However, you should understand that this equipment involves some components that need professionals instead of DIY. Let the experts handle the electrical parts, such as the thermocouple. These components require technical know-how, so doing it on your own may worsen the issue. 

With such, here are some circumstances when you need to ask for help from Winchester furnace repair professionals or companies near you:  

  • You can hear loud and unusual noises coming from the furnace
  • Poor air quality even after you replaced the filter
  • Burning smells are present in the vents
  • No airflow is detected
  • A new furnace model has to be mounted

You may also want to hire a skilled furnace technician if you think you can’t perform the following tasks on your own:

  • Cleaning the flame sensor
  • Cleaning the burners
  • Fixing the loosened electrical parts
  • Testing the increasing temperature and velocity
  • Testing the fan amperage

By letting experts do the furnace maintenance, you can avoid emergency calls asking them for help. Doing so may be too late at times. 

2. Perform DIY Furnace Maintenance

While it’s always best that you hire a professional for maintaining, repairing, or installing HVAC, some tasks are manageable on your own. You may find the tasks challenging to perform at first, but with the familiarity of the steps, you can perform them. You can train yourself to perform the following minor tasks at the start of each season:

  • Inspecting The Furnace: When winter comes, you should perform a quick inspection of the unit. Especially if you place your furnaces in the basement that you’re utilizing as the storage area, see to it that your furnace is far from things that can introduce danger. 

On top of that, you should also check the color of the burner flame for gas furnaces. The flame needs to be blue. If you see that the unit produces a yellow flame, it may mean that the burner is too filthy. 

  • Changing The Air Filter: The air filter is an essential component of the furnace. It works to suck in the dirt, thereby cleaning the air that flows inside the house. However, the airflow becomes restricted as it accumulates dust over time. Too much dust that accumulates on the air filter can reduce the efficiency of your furnace. This then can lead to a significant concern if not replaced. For this, you must regularly replace the air filter.

Replace the air filter depending on its quality as well as the frequency of using the air conditioner. Some states may not need to use air conditioners the entire summer season. However, in Las Vegas, air conditioners are used the entire summer season. 

Likely, air conditioners are used less during the fall and spring seasons. With that, you should then schedule the replacement of the air filter during the summer seasons. Generally, it has to be changed once every three months. Furthermore, since air conditioners are used often during summer, it’s recommended that you inspect the functionality of the air filter at least once a month during this season.

  • Cleaning The Outdoor’s Unit: If you have a traditional furnace that’s usually kept outside, then the more that you need to check and clean it. The unit is more likely to be exposed to more debris and dirt. Over time, it can cover the unit, which can negatively impact how it functions. With such, you must regularly hose it down to remove the build-up of debris or remove the branches, leaves, and other dirt that may encroach it. 

Conclusion

The furnace doesn’t have to be cleaned or checked out daily. But it requires proper and regular maintenance, including inspecting it from time to time. Especially when the season changes, it’s best to check and clean it. That way, you can prepare it for the upcoming season. Instead of waiting for it to bud down, keep it well-maintained. This will save you from buying a new one without maximizing the lifespan of your current unit.

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