Introduction
Knowing how to take care of your furnace is crucial to its health and your wallet. Being able to take care of it can save you from paying an expensive bill and worrying about not being able to heat in your house. In this month’s blog post, we will be talking about the reasons why to take care of your furnace, tips and tricks on how to do so, and what to do when things go wrong with it. It’s important to know how to take care of your furnace as you will be having it a long time after all. Furnaces can last for twenty years before they have to be replaced if they are taken care of properly. It costs more to replace your furnace than it costs to take care of it. We hope that we can direct you in the right direction when it comes to taking care of your furnace and it will be with you for many years to come.
Why Take Care of Your Furnace?
There are several reasons why you should take care of your furnace. When it doesn’t work properly, you will eventually notice and you won’t be able to ignore it. It may start as a minor issue, such as a weird noise occasionally, but as time goes on, it will get worse. You should also take care of it so it works to its best ability and you can avoid future problems. A furnace that works well will be able to heat your home better and will be able to regulate temperatures so they don’t vary from room to room. Not only should you take care of your it to make sure it works properly, but you should do it because taking care of it will save you money. As mentioned in the above paragraph, taking care of your furnace will save you more money as time goes on. It costs more money to completely replace your furnace than it costs for it to be serviced. If you take care of your it, you can extend its life. Taking care of it is a good idea for a multitude of reasons. While only a few of them were highlighted in this paragraph, we hope you found them informative. Taking care of your furnace might be tedious and tiresome, but it is worth it in the long run.
Tips and Tricks
It can be hard to take care of your furnace when you don’t know how to. In this section, we will be covering some tips and tricks you can do to take care of it.
- Keep All Flammable Objects Away from Your Furnace
It’s important to keep all flammable objects away from your furnace. Flammable objects near it are a fire hazard. While some may argue that keeping flammable objects away from your furnace may not technically be a tip for taking care of it, if your house burns down then your furnace will go along with it. A good rule of thumb is to keep flammable objects at least five feet away from your furnace. If possible, try and keep flammable objects outside of the room where your furnace is housed. It will give you more peace of mind.
- Replace the Filter
You need to replace your filter frequently in your furnace. The thicker the filter is, the longer it’s going to last. For example, a 2-inch filter needs to be replaced every three months while a 4-inch filter needs to be replaced every six months. You can check to see how thick your filter is by turning off your furnace and locating where it is on your furnace. It should say it clearly. Once you find your filter and determine its size, you can order another filter to replace your old one. The average filter costs around $10 to $30 according to Home Advisor. The cost can depend on the thickness, quality, and brand of the air filter. After your new filter arrives, you can replace the old one and you are all done! You can cross off replacing your filter off your to-do list and feel good about maintaining your furnace.
- Clean the Vents
Your ductwork, a system of vents, is used to transport hot air from your furnace to different rooms in your home. If there is a blockage in them then it can prevent the air from reaching its destination. As addressed in our blog post, “How to Clean Your Ductwork,” you’ll need a few tools such as an HVAC brush, high powered air compressor, and a high powered vacuum. You’ll need to turn off your HVAC system, open up a ductwork entrance, seal off the rest of your vents, and use the tools mentioned to clean your ductwork before closing it up. You can read more about it in our “How to Clean Your Ductwork” post that we mentioned. Keeping your vents clean will help your furnace to transport air easier and you will notice the difference as your home significantly warms up faster.
- Clean the Thermostat
Checking to make sure your thermostat is displaying the right temperature is important. If your thermostat is displaying the wrong temperature, it can indicate problems with your HVAC system as a whole. One simple thing you can do to test your thermostat is to adjust your thermostat’s temperature five degrees higher or lower than what you usually have it on. If your furnace doesn’t turn on, that means there is an issue with it. If you have a digital thermostat, try replacing the batteries and see if that changes anything. If you are still having problems and that doesn’t help, try switching between two options on your thermostat: heat and cool. Depending on what you would like, switch the option, and see if that helps. The reason why you want to check your thermostat is because, without it, your furnace will not be able to work properly. You won’t be able to control how hot or cold it is in your house without it.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Sadly, things do sometimes go wrong with your furnace. A weird noise or smell may come from your it or it may stop working altogether. When that happens, you should call an HVAC technician. Try to remember if you changed anything right before your furnace stopped functioning properly as this will help the HVAC technician. Describe in detail how it is acting up. Even the smallest details will help the HVAC technician to get a picture of what the problem is and help to come up with a timely solution. The HVAC technician will come out to your house and examine your furnace. During this time, tell them if you have tried to troubleshoot your furnace if you haven’t told them already. The HVAC technician will be able to better understand if the issue can be solved with a basic fix or not. An important thing to also include is the model of your furnace and how old it is. Also, tell the HVAC technician what type of furnace it is. Is it a gas furnace? Is it an electric furnace? The more specific you are, the faster it will be fixed. You can not control when your furnace breaks, but you can control how you react to it breaking. Educating yourself on what to do when things go wrong with your it can help significantly and the HVAC technician you call will appreciate it.
Conclusion
Learning how to take care of your furnace is an essential skill that will help you keep your HVAC system running. You should always replace the filter, keep flammable objects away from it, and keep the vents clean. When your furnace fails, you should contact an HVAC technician and provide them with as much information about it as possible. We hope this blog post taught you how to take care of your furnace. If you have any more questions, ask them in the comments below. If you live in Jefferson County or any of the counties surrounding it and need your furnace repaired, contact us!