How To Prepare Your Furnace for Winter
After months of quiet rest, turning your furnace on can sometimes reveal unwanted surprises. Why? During the cold season, your system works hard to keep you nice and toasty. With complex moving and mechanical parts, it’s important to maintain your furnace regularly, especially when the temperatures drop and the season kicks into full swing. In this blog, we’ll dive into a few ways to prepare your furnace for winter, ensuring it operates at peak efficiency and delivers reliable performance throughout the season.
Check Your Filter
A clean filter does a lot for your system and indoor air quality. Over time, filters get clogged with debris, dust, and other particles. This can significantly reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of your furnace. When neglected, these filters increase the workload on your system, leading to higher energy consumption and increased energy bills. By replacing your filter at least once every three months, you can maintain better energy efficiency when you turn your system on for the season.
Run Your System Before You Need It
Turning your system on only to find a major malfunction or repair isn’t the easiest thing to deal with, especially when the temperature is freezing outside. It’s highly recommended to run your system in the fall to get an idea of the condition of your furnace. Once your system has been powered on and is operating, adjust your thermostat to a higher degree above your indoor temperature. Check your system for strange odors and sounds. Don’t be alarmed if you detect an initial burning smell. It could be dust that has settled on your system burning off. However, if the smell continues, it’s best to call a technician to check it out.
Install a New & Efficient Thermostat
Most homeowners aren’t aware of how important a thermostat is in their heating system setup. A new thermostat can revolutionize the way you control your home’s heating, delivering comfort and energy savings. By upgrading to a modern programmable thermostat, homeowners can benefit from scheduled heating operations, reducing unnecessary energy consumption during the day or while they’re asleep.
Check Fire & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
A malfunctioning furnace can be dangerous, leaking carbon monoxide into the air. It’s important to ensure your carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarms are in working order before starting up your system for the season. If you need to replace batteries or update your detectors, do so early on.
Clean Furnace Flue & Surrounding Area
One major part of owning a furnace is ensuring it’s ready for winter, and that includes some cleaning. Your furnace needs room to breathe, drawing in air for combustion and heat distribution. So, it’s important to keep the area near your furnace clear, at least 30 inches, to follow city codes and manufacturer operation guidelines.
Aside from ensuring the area around your furnace is cleared of debris, storage stuff, and other clutter, it’s important to pay attention to your furnace flue as well. Over time, a number of things can find their way into your furnace flue, including dust, debris, and small animals. This can pose a serious threat to the safety and proper operation of your system if the ventilation of exhaust gases is impeded. When exhaust gases, including carbon monoxide, cannot escape your home, they may end up back in your home. So, making sure your furnace flue is in working order is a critical part of pre-winter preparation.
Schedule Routine Maintenance
If you’ve diligently maintained your furnace over the years, it’s important to schedule your regular annual tune-up to upkeep system efficiency, heating effectiveness, and overall safe function of your system. A routine checkup ensures all moving parts are lubricated, all minor repairs needed are addressed, and all adjustments needed to ensure efficiency are made. When you maintain your system in the fall, you can confidently power it on in the winter without worries.
Furnace Services With Dominion Service Company
Dominion Service Company is proud to offer residents of Brighton, MI, and the surrounding community trusted furnace services. As a company dedicated to quality services, we never take shortcuts, offering professionalism, reliability, and transparency at every turn. With upfront pricing, quality workmanship, and a seamless customer experience, we guarantee complete satisfaction when you entrust your furnace needs to our team of experts.
Schedule furnace services in Brighton, MI, with Dominion Service Company when you call 810-844-4178 today!
