How Furnace Maintenance is Done

Home heating systems, no matter how sophisticated or advanced they are, will likely have fifty percent less efficiency when they’re not maintained properly. This is why even if you have one that’s brand new you still have to value the importance of regular furnace maintenance. If you don’t know how it works, we’ll teach you.

Whenever the heating and cooling systems thermostat is turned up, a signal is delivered to the heating equipment. This is where a relay switch or valve begins the fuel-burning operation. As soon as the furnace heats up, there will be another control that turns the blower fan on. This is the function responsible for circulating warm air all throughout the living space. For a system that uses hot water, a pump is responsible for circulating hot water into the radiators, which in turn are found all throughout the house.

Furnace Inspections

The best solution for furnace-related maintenance jobs is calling in the expert HVAC contractors to do the inspections and corresponding adjustments and heating system repair needed. But then again, there are several things a homeowner like you can do on your own. Yes, there are “DIY” furnace maintenance tasks like changing air filters on a regular basis. And it’s definitely a good idea to get to know the basics of how your furnace works.

But before you do some cleaning or maintenance you need to be sure you turn the fuel supply off as well as the electrical power. Figure out where the fuel supply is located and learn how to turn it off. If you have no idea, call your provider. Likewise, turn off the electrical switch that controls the power supply to the furnace. When you’re done inspecting the furnace, turn the electricity and fuel line on.

Obviously the best place to begin furnace maintenance is in the filter. Know that a dirty filter will result in overworking your furnace and will eventually put unnecessary pressure to it. And when that happens, heating costs will eventually increase and the life of your heating equipment eventually gets shorter. You also will want to ensure that the filter in your furnace has a cover so that there will be an efficient return-air system. If you have cheap fiberglass filters, you need to inspect them once a month during the heating and cooling months. Pleated filters on the other hand are able to last a maximum of three months. For permanent filters, you need to wash and rinse them every month. Finally, electronic air cleaner filters of your home heating systems need to be cleaned every other month.