Essential Furnace Maintenance Tasks to Prepare Your HVAC System for Winter
The holiday season is upon us again. Where did the year go? We can expect lots of gatherings with friends and family, lots of celebrating, and favorite foods that we see only at this time of year. While we do not expect a “White Christmas,” the next few months will be our cold season. We create lists to ensure we don’t forget important holiday tasks, so here is your list of Furnace Maintenance tasks to prepare your HVAC system for winter.
Clean
- For the next few months, the house will be closed to keep the cold outside and the warmth inside. This tends to concentrate the airborne contaminants—dust, mold spores, etc. These particles are heavier than air, so they settle as dust on every surface, including carpets, floors, furniture, and drapes. When you dust, vacuum, and mop, you are removing these particles from the home forever.
- Make sure to clean clutter, dust, and cobwebs from around the furnace to remove anything that can catch fire.
- Schedule reminders for changing the air filter at least every three months. This filter can clog and interfere with the furnace function.
- If you observe heavy dust accumulation around the return air plenums, consider calling All Star to clean the ductwork.
Winter is also cold and flu season. Anything done to improve indoor air quality will help protect family members from potential bacteria and viruses.
Change Batteries
An HVAC system works in conjunction with several safety devices and most of these devices are battery powered. If you have not created a reminder prompt, turn on the furnace as a reminder to change batteries.
- Homes with natural gas furnaces should have a carbon monoxide detector; carbon monoxide is a minor byproduct of the combustion of natural gas. Should CO leak into the home, the detector alerts occupants, triggering an evacuation.
- Smoke detectors are also battery-powered. Each level and each bedroom should have a separate detector.
- (When detector batteries are low, they give a repeated chirp as a reminder. This is a good feature . . . unless it happens at 3 am and will not stop until the battery is changed. Yeah. Schedule a battery change.)
- The thermostat is also battery-powered, so get enough replacement batteries to change them all.
Schedule Preventative Furnace Maintenance
Beyond the DIY tasks, your HVAC system needs some professional help. Technicians bring the proper tools and extensive training to keep your system running at peak efficiency.
Furnace maintenance includes checking the gas supply, the valves, the burner assembly, and the ignitor (either a pilot light or an electric ignitor). Rust and/or soot will be removed and the blend of gas and oxygen checked.
The heat exchanger and exhaust stack will be inspected. Rust can corrode the sheet metal sides and allow carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide to leak into the home.
Heat pump systems require testing of the refrigerant gas levels and cleaning of the outdoor condenser unit. This is the same equipment used during air conditioning season only in reverse; heat from the outside is brought inside for the winter.
A technician will test sensitive sensors, switches, and control mechanisms for stress or wear. There are common wear patterns, so finding small problems is quite common during this stage. However, finding a problem while it is small prevents the small problem from becoming a big problem.
Call All Star AC & Heating for Your Furnace Maintenance, Today!
Let All Star A/C & Heating Services help with your Furnace maintenance. We have a seasoned team of HVAC contractors who will configure and design your furnace maintenance to keep you and your family comfortable.
