The best time to get your furnace ready for the cold winter months is now. When it gets cold outside you’ll want to make sure that your furnace is working in the best way possible so your family will be comfortable. If you take a little bit of time to check things out you’ll be happier and warmer throughout the cold season.

Preparing Your Furnace for Fall & Winter

1. Clean the furnace room. When we aren’t using our furnace the room it’s in usually becomes a storage room. This means that your furnace might be covered with stuff and the room is cluttered. All items that are either pushed up against the furnace or on top of it need to be relocated. Remove dust, dirt and cobwebs from around the furnace and make sure you can see the pilot lights.
2. Check furnace filters. The purpose of air filters is to filter out dirt during the intake of air so it’s important to keep them clean. Check them every 30 days and clean them if you can or replace them. If you haven’t done it for a while then it definitely needs to be done before winter sets in. When you run your furnace with a filter that is clogged it will take longer for it to warm up the house. It also makes it run longer and harder which will cause your power bill to climb, not to mention wear and tear on the furnace.
3. Clean ducts and/or vents. The ducts and vents are what the hot air form your furnace blows through so it makes sense that they need to free of obstructions. Check to see if there are any obstructions at the vent exterior and give it a good wipe. You might even find a small toy that your child has been missing! After you’ve spent a little time cleaning, check that the air is blowing freely.
4. Inspect fan belt. One of the most important parts of your furnace is the blower belt or the fan belt. It’s important to check the tension and look for signs of wear because a loose belt will cause the furnace to take longer to heat your home and therefore use more power. It will take a little bit of practice to determine if the tension is right. You will need to loosen the attachment bracket to adjust the tension and then tighten it back in place. If you notice tears in the belt then you should replace it.
5. Lubricate bearings. Furnaces have moving parts with bearings that need to remain lubricated because bearings that aren’t lubricated will start to wear out and cause your furnace to work less efficiently. This will lead to future repairs that will end up costing more money. Just make sure you don’t over lubricate the bearings as this can cause a fire hazard and other problems.
6. Blower door. Make sure the blower doors are closed tightly. These doors are what will keep heating byproducts like carbon monoxide from mixing with the warm air that is being blown into your home.

Furnace Installation, Repair & Maintenance in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Chicopee & Agawam Massachusetts

Fall and winter furnace breakdowns can be inconvenient. They can take longer to fix and cost more. If you’re a little unsure about performing any of these tasks on your own then give Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning a call to schedule service.