Winter is almost here. Is your HVAC ready? The long nights and cold winds mean your heating system will be working overtime.
The last thing anyone wants is for their furnace to quit working in the middle of a snowstorm.
An hour of maintenance can go a long way in preventing or predicting problems down the road, and it can also help reduce your energy costs in the process.
Give It Space
HVAC systems need room to breathe. As a rule of thumb, you need to move anything on top of the heater and clear everything in a three-foot radius around it.
You’re trying to reduce the risk of fire and maximize airflow. Your heater depends on unrestricted air moving through it. That will help it run better and keep your costs down.
Check the Smoke Detector
Before you decide to turn on your heater, you need to test your smoke alarms and your carbon monoxide detector.
Make sure they’re running properly and replace their batteries if necessary. Once you’ve turned on the system, you should do a walk-through of your home to see if you smell gas anywhere, as that could indicate a dangerous leak.
When it comes to keeping your system operating smoothly and safely, there’s no substitute for a professional inspection.
However, these precautions will go a long way to keep you and your family safe and catch problems before they develop.
Inspecting the Unit
You can fix a lot of simple problems with your heating unit yourself, simply by carefully looking through the system.
If you have a furnace, you’ll want to look over the exhaust pipe and the chamber itself for structural problems and any buildup of soot or other materials.
The most important parts of furnace maintenance are identifying possible leaks and clearing out accumulated soot that blocks air and creates a fire hazard.
If you see something wrong and don’t know how to deal with it, don’t hesitate to get professional help.
Keep Vents Clear
For proper heating, you need your vents clear and unobstructed. If you can check inside the vents, you can clear out anything that shouldn’t be there.
You should also go through your home and ensure you don’t have any household objects blocking the outside of the vents. That heat won’t do you any good if it’s not being circulated efficiently…
Continue reading and learn more about HVACs on Daisy Linden’s blog
You may also like
Old houses sometimes require a special attention in order to be maintained properly and their upkeep may seem complicated and hard to many. With ...
You just moved into your new house, but the house calls for a little touch-up. So, you’ve decided to renovate! You have all incredible ideas draw...
Energy efficiency is the new must have! One of the biggest current trends in custom home construction is incorporating energy efficient elements ...
The technology is getting more and more advanced with each passing day. Long gone are the times when the only purpose of a gadget was to show off...
