As a homeowner, you may not think about furnace maintenance often – but it’s essential to stay on top of this aspect of home upkeep. A well-maintained furnace can help ensure that warmth and comfort are always ready for you when needed.
Doing some DIY maintenance is easy to do if you know where to start, so if you’re keen on improving your furnace care routine, keep reading! In this guide, we’ll provide tips and step-by-step instructions designed specifically for homeowners like yourself who want to be proactive and take charge of their furnaces’ health.
Take advantage of these furnace maintenance DIY tips today, and stay warm this winter!
Furnace Maintenance DIY Tips
A broken furnace is no fun for anyone. Fortunately, there are several things you can do yourself to make sure your furnace is in optimal working condition. If you would rather call a technician to assist you, visit this website for a qualified HVAC professional – https://andersonair.com/service-areas/rogers/.
Here are some DIY furnace maintenance tips you can follow to keep your furnace happy:
Clean Your Furnace Filter Every Month
Routinely inspecting and cleaning a furnace filter is essential for ensuring the longevity of your furnace. Cleaning the filter every month not only helps reduce energy costs but also prevents dust and debris from entering your home air system and contaminating the air you breathe.
It’s quick and easy to clean most filters; just remove it, vacuum it off or rinse it with water if needed, then reinstall.
Inspect Your Furnace Ducts For Leaks And Damage
Keeping your home’s furnace safe and efficient is an important task that should be done on a regular basis.
It’s wise to inspect your furnace ducts for any leaks or signs of damage so you can have them properly repaired, preventing a potentially hazardous situation in the future. Doing this can also help lower energy costs, as damaged HVAC systems will require more energy to provide comfortable indoor temperatures.
Leak and damage inspections should also be completed before installing a new furnace in your home to ensure all components are functioning properly and that the system won’t cause any unexpected trouble later on.
Check The Insulation Around Your Furnace To Make Sure It’s Up To Par
One crucial component of keeping your furnace functioning optimally is by checking the insulation to ensure it’s in good condition surrounding the unit. Quality insulation located near and around the furnace can help lower your energy bills and reduce overall wear and tear on the actual unit itself.
If you see any signs of aging or fraying insulation, take steps to replace or fix parts asap. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, call in a professional technician, and they’ll be happy to assist you.
Give Your Furnace Some Breathing Room – Keep The Area Clear
This simple furnace DIY furnace maintenance tip doesn’t require you to even touch your furnace at all. Keeping the area around your furnace free of obstruction is an important part of ensuring its performance and longevity. Anything placed too close to the unit could become a hazard, impacting safety and reliability.
Move any toys, furniture, plastic bags, papers, and anything else that has the potential to accumulate around your furnace. Keeping this area clear will help ensure proper air circulation for improved efficiency and for safeguarding against potential dangers in your home.
Replace Your Furnace Thermostat Every Five Years
Replacing your furnace thermostat on a regular basis is an important part of maintaining optimal energy efficiency and comfort in your home. The average furnace thermostat lasts around five years, so scheduling an installation after this amount of time has gone by is a smart move.
Not only will you benefit from updated features such as digital readouts and precise temperature control with a newer model, but you can also rest easy knowing that the internal wiring has been replaced and potential hazards avoided.
With a brand-new thermostat, you can reap the rewards of improved accuracy in temperature control and cost savings on energy bills too.
Keep An Eye On The Pilot Light – If It Goes Out, Relight It As Soon As Possible
An essential part of most home appliances is the pilot light – a small flame that burns continuously to light the appliance when it is turned on. Unfortunately, it often goes out unexpectedly and, if left unattended, can cause costly damage. If you notice it’s out, relight it as soon as possible. Relighting a pilot light is an important part of DIY gas furnace maintenance. It’s quick and easy if you follow the basic steps.
First, make sure that your gas valve is turned on. Next, locate the pilot light, typically on the side or front of your appliance, such as a furnace or stovetop. If it has gone out, push and hold down the reset button while lighting a match or using a long-reach lighter.
Hold the reset button until you detect that the burner has ignited; then, slowly release the reset button. If done correctly, you should have successfully re-lit your pilot light!
Conclusion – Furnace Maintenance DIY Tips
Even if you don’t plan on performing all the furnace maintenance tasks yourself, it’s still a good idea to be familiar with them. That way, you can verify that the HVAC professional you hire is doing their job properly.
Understanding how your furnace works will help you troubleshoot minor issues before they become big problems. Use these DIY tips as a reference the next time you need to perform furnace maintenance tasks.
And, of course, always call a local HVAC professional when you have questions or concerns about your heater.
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