Prepping Your Home’s Furnace For The Winter Months
One of the most important things you can do this winter for yourself and your family is to ensure that your home’s furnace is operational, safe, and as energy efficient as possible. The last thing you want in the middle of a particularly cold night is to try and turn on your furnace only to discover that it is completely out of commission. There are a wide variety of things that can happen to your furnace during the months where it isn’t in use, so it pays to have a professional HVAC company come out and inspect your home’s furnace before winter gets into full swing. During a regular inspection of your home’s furnace, your technician will also clean the furnace, check and change the filter, check for any leaks or unhealthy gasses, and make sure that everything in your heating system is working like it should be. They can even clean out your furnace ducts for you if you so desire. There are also a number of things that you can do yourself that can help keep your furnace running more efficiently throughout the winter.
Change Your Filters Regularly
There is some debate on whether or not you should change out your furnace filter monthly, or at least once a month. The best method of determining when you should replace your filter is to take it out at least every 30 days and visually inspect it. If your filter still looks fairly good after that point, you can probably put off changing for a little while longer, otherwise, it might be best to go ahead and change it out.
Stock Up On Filters
Most often, you can find a pretty good deal on furnace filters if you shop for them during the warmer months. This can be a great way to save on your winter costs, giving you the extra money you could put towards other things.
Remove Items You Have Stored Near Your Furnace
It is always a good idea to remove anything you have stored near your furnace, particularly if any of those items are flammable. You will also want to remove any items that have found their way on top of or in front of your air ducts or your return vents.
Fill Up Your Gas Furnace
If you have a gas furnace, it is a good idea to call your gas company early and have them come out and fill it up. Gas is much cheaper to buy during the summer than it is in the winter, so it pays to stock up early if you get the chance.
Bleed Your Radiator Valves
If you have hot water radiators, you will want to make sure that you bleed the valves. This process is fairly simple, in that you only need to open the valves slowly and then close them again when water starts to appear.