The winter months are just around the corner, which means that it is time to get your furnace ready for the season. The job is well worth the time it will take you to make sure that your home is warm and comfortable when the cold weather arrives. You don’t want to run the risk of your furnace not working when you need it most, so take the following steps to ensure a safe and warm home for the winter.
1. The first step to a healthy furnace is replacing the dirty air filter every month. This is simply removing the old filter and inserting a new one according to the arrows on the side. A clogged air filter can cause problems down the line, so monthly replacement is important.
2. During the winter months, when your furnace will be running a lot, you should consider a home air filter upgrade. Furnace filters come in a variety of types that are useful for common household conditions including dust, odor, pets, and allergy. Use the type of air filters that will work best for your home. You can usually find discount furnace filters easily. 3. Next, you need to clean the air vents and ducts. You can do this by removing the vent covers and using your vacuum cleaner hose to vacuum out the dust inside.
4. Make sure the furnace blower belt is in good working condition. To do this, you will need to turn off the electricity to the furnace at the circuit breaker. Then remove the metal cover of the air handler and inspect the blower belt – it will be the largest rubber belt that you see. Make sure that there are no weak spots or crack in the belt. If there are, replace it right away.
5. Set your programmable thermostat so that the household temperature is lower at night while you are sleeping. This will save you up to 75 percent on you electric or gas costs. If you have an older type of thermostat, it’s worth considering upgrading.
6.Check the exhaust flue outside to make sure that there isn’t any debris blocking it. Make sure that the area around your furnace is also free of any debris or clutter.
7. Back inside, open all of your air vents. Check to make sure that nothing is obstructing the air flow from each vent.