If your Western Slope home is heated by a furnace, now is the time to get it back in shape for the fall and winter seasons. It’s important to perform annual preventive maintenance because, if you take good care of your heating system, it will take good care of you. That means you can expect greater efficiency, dependability and safety from your furnace if you have it properly maintained rather than simply repairing the equipment when it develops problems.
You change the oil in your car and have it serviced a few times every year, right? The same care and attention should be given to your furnace if you want it to keep you warm all winter long. Here’s what’s involved in a furnace fall checkup that will keep it in top shape all season:
- Check vent connection pipe and chimney: The venting system has parts that can deteriorate after years of use. A weakened vent connection pipe or chimney could pose health problems, so it’s an important preventive maintenance check.
- Inspect the heat exchanger: A leaky heat exchanger causes combustion gases to mix with indoor air. This safety concern can be avoided with annual inspections.
- Perform a combustion-efficiency test: If you have a replacement or retrofit in mind, ask for this test to check the efficiency of your current system.
- Check the combustion chamber for cracks: Safety is the primary importance of this inspection.
- Adjust the blower control: This can improve efficiency.
- Clean and lubricate the blower: Less friction, fewer furnace noises and improved efficiency are the results of this check.
- Remove dirt, soot or corrosion: This makes the furnace look cleaner, but it also helps it run more efficiently.
- Check fuel input and furnace flame: If anything seems off, the technician can make adjustments to improve safety and efficiency.
- Seal connections at the furnace and the main ducts: Air stays where it should and efficiency is enhanced.
For more tips and advice on heating your home efficiently this fall and winter, please contact us at Climate Control Company. Our experience in Western Colorado dates back to 1956.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
