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Any component that uses natural gas in your home can be a danger. If proper maintenance and safety checks are not performed regularly, you not only risk your appliances not functioning correctly but also compromise your family and your home’s health.
When it comes to your gas furnace, making sure it is ready to handle the cold is crucial before we hit near-freezing temperatures because the last thing you want is to be without heat in your home when you need it most.
We understand that although our summers here in South Texas might be long, we still experience freezing temperatures after the holidays.
At Wright Home Services, we’re here to help you prepare for every season by educating you on elite tips and tricks for HVAC maintenance and troubleshooting and finding the right company for you, and we’ve been doing it since 1979.
Whether it’s fall, winter, summer, or spring, the last thing you want is to be uncomfortable in your own home. This is why proper AC and furnace maintenance is important to identify any potential issues before they become a costly problem.
This article will provide a simple furnace maintenance checklist to go through before it gets too cold, including checking the pilot light, clearing areas around the unit, and more.
After reading, you’ll be well-equipped for your maintenance and safety furnace check and will know when things are right and when you need to call a professional.
Furnace Winter Maintenance And Safety Check: 7 Steps
Inspecting your furnace for winter doesn’t have to be a difficult, daunting task. It’s actually quite simple and can be completed in just a couple of hours, depending on the condition of your unit.
Here we’ll outline seven important steps to checking your furnace to ensure it works correctly and does not pose any safety issues for your home.
1. Perform A Visual Inspection Of Your Furnace
The first and best step to take to check your furnace is to perform a visual inspection of the indoor unit.
If you notice what looks like black soot around the unit, this may indicate there is a restriction within the system that is not allowing the air to flow properly, causing something to burn. Also, check for any signs of corrosion or separation around the unit and connecting components that may be causing heating issues.
Other things to check include the pilot light, air filters, and your outdoor unit, which we’ll get into further in this article.
While performing your visual inspection, remember that only a certified professional should work on your furnace because of the complicated electrical and gas components it has. If anything does not look right or is causing concern, contact a professional for an inspection and tune-up.
2. Check The Pilot Light Is Properly Lit
The pilot light on your furnace is responsible for burning the natural gas to produce heat, so essentially, it is what makes your furnace run. If the pilot light is not lit or not properly burning, this will affect how well your furnace heats your home, if at all.
The pilot light flame should burn a steady blue. If the flame is flickering constantly or is a yellowish color, there may be an obstruction in the gas line or the burner may be dirty, which should be handled by a professional.
If the pilot light is not lit, you can follow the instructions in your furnace manual to relight it properly. However, if you are not comfortable with handling gas, it’s best to call your HVAC company to inspect and relight it.
3. Check And Replace Air Filters
Your air filters are essential for trapping excess dust, dander, and debris in your home and stopping it from recirculating through your HVAC system.
Regularly checking and replacing air filters when needed will not only maintain the quality of air in your home but also improve the efficiency of your system.
If air filters are blocked with dirt and dust buildup, it makes it harder for your system to breathe, causing excess strain and energy waste. Over time, this can cause parts to burn out within your system due to overworking them.
Depending on the type of air filters you have, they last for various amounts of time.
- 1-inch filters should be checked and replaced every 30-60 days
- 2-inch filters should be checked and replaced every 60-90 days
- Media filters should be checked and replaced every 3-6 months
4. Clear Areas Around The Unit
Just like replacing your filters regularly, ensuring areas around your furnace and HVAC system are clear from obstructions is necessary for the functionality of your system.
Check around your furnace, outdoor unit, and vents in your home. Remove any debris, excess dust, furniture, or decorative items that may block these components.
Any blockages, even if small, can restrict airflow to and throughout your unit, causing burnout and comfort issues in your home.
5. Check And Replace Carbon Monoxide Detectors
If you have natural gas elements in your home, having working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors is necessary.
Before constantly running your furnace, check and replace batteries in all carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they will work all winter long and protect your family in case of a gas leak.
Your smoke detectors are also an essential part of this safety step as they will alert you if anything is on fire, which could potentially come from your furnace.
If you don’t have carbon monoxide detectors, install them within five feet of your furnace and at least two feet off the ground.
6. Run Your Furnace Low And Slow First
When the temperature of your home finally starts to drop and you’re ready to turn your heat on, remember to start by keeping the temperature low.
Because your heat hasn’t been used in a while, there is most likely dust on and around the coils that will burn off when the heat is turned on. Running the heat at a lower temperature will allow the dust to burn without smelling like there’s a fire in your home.
You may also notice a burning odor that is caused by microbial growth on and around your system burning off.
While both of these smells are common, if the odor persists or something doesn’t smell right, it’s best to call a professional to assess the situation.
7. Schedule A Maintenance Check With A Professional
After thoroughly inspecting your furnace, replacing your filters, and running your furnace slowly, the final maintenance and safety item to check off the list is to schedule a seasonal tune-up with a professional HVAC company.
Whether you notice something a little off with your furnace or just want to take precautionary measures to check your HVAC system before it gets too cold, having a professional inspection is the best solution.
A certified, trained HVAC technician can properly assess your system, diagnose any potential issues, and provide you with the best solution for you and your home.
Preparing Your Furnace And Home For Winter
Now that you know seven important steps to take to maintain your furnace, you can ensure your heating will work properly all winter long and operate safely in your home.
A functioning furnace is crucial for the comfort and safety of you, your family, and your home. When it comes to gas-burning furnaces, safety is a large priority as well.
Before freezing temperatures arrive, follow these seven simple steps to make sure your furnace can beat the cold:
- Perform a visual inspection of your furnace and all other components
- Check the pilot light is lit and burning properly
- Check and replace air filters
- Check areas around the furnace, outdoor unit, and vents for obstructions
- Replace carbon monoxide detector and smoke detector batteries, or install them if not already present
- Start your furnace by running it on a low temperature
- Schedule a pre-season maintenance check with a professional HVAC company
It’s important to remember that the older your unit is, the less efficient it becomes. While repairs and maintenance will keep it running, at a certain point, a full system replacement will be more cost-effective.
If you noticed your air conditioning wasn’t working as well this summer and fear for the upcoming winter, it may be worth looking into replacing your unit before it gets too cold.
To better help you in your research, check out this article that compares the cost of common HVAC repairs versus the cost of a full replacement and how much a new system can save you on energy bills in the long run.
Does Your HVAC System Need A Check-Up?
Here at Wright Home Services, we’re here for all your heating and cooling needs, including the highest quality products and services followed by education and expert guidance through your project.
Preventative maintenance and professional tune-ups are recommended before both summer and winter, and our expert technicians are here to help.
Schedule your pre-season tune-up with Wright Home Services today!
Treating people Wright – since 1979!
