9 Simple Tips on Furnace Maintenance for New Homeowner

Are you a new homeowner looking for some easy tips to manage the house you just moved in?

Maintaining your HVAC equipment such as a furnace comes as a challenge to new homeowners. However, with some easy tips, you can make this task pretty easy. After all, anything that is well-maintained lasts longer and works efficiently. Jotted below are a few easy tips and tricks to keep this tedious process easy for you. 

Research About Your Furnace

The first step one can take to keep a furnace healthy is to know about it. Learn the model details and check how old the furnace is. Not only the heating system, check all the systems installed in your new house for their age. At times, the realtor doesn’t provide these details. So, investing some time in knowing about this will let you know what to expect as far as maintenance and furnace repair of these types of equipment are concerned. To get an estimate of the costs of maintenance and repair, you can click here.

Clean The Exterior And The Blower Assembly

The simplest tip is to keep the furnace clean from outside. Often dust or debris gets stuck and if cleaned regularly will prevent issues from cropping up every now and then. We need not mention how expensive is to get such repairs done. Also, ensure that the blower assembly is cleaned. 

This assembly is very easy to locate next to the air filters. If you need help in locating the blower assembly, refer to the product documentation that came along with it. Cannot locate it? Google the brand and check for details online.

Keep The Air Filters Clean Or Change Them If Required

If the air filters are kept clean, the furnace would use lower energy to run. It will, in turn, lower the utility bills. At the same time, it will work much efficiently as it will be easy for the air to keep passing through the system. It is also important to change the air filters regularly. Refer to the furnace brand instructions on how frequently to change the air filters.

Changing an air filter or cleaning them is quite easy. You simply need to remove them from the place, clean/replace and slide them back in. Also, never assume that the filters would be recently changed by the previous homeowners. Look out if they show signs of wear and tear. It is better to replace them else you end up spending much more money in paying for the enhanced utility bills.

Keep The Vents Cleaned

If your furnace system is connected to vents that heat up individual rooms, ensure to keep these vents cleaned. This will allow the warm air to effectively circulate in each of the rooms. If these vents are left dirty, not only the heating would be lesser, but also the dust and pollen would be spread in the entire house, which will give rise to infection. Usually, you can simply pull off the vent and use a vacuum cleaner to clean it.

Notice The Pilot Light

A pilot light is an important indicator of how your furnace is running. It also lets us know that the carbon monoxide levels are proper. This light should always be blue. A blue light will acknowledge that the gas is burning correctly, and the ratio is right. Yellow light or light of any other color is not a good indicator. Ensure that the pilot light is easily visible to you so that you can know things are in order. If the device isn’t running properly, not only can it damage the device but can be hazardous. If this is the case you will need a professional to come out to service your furnace. They will need to be made aware of what kind of fuel is used as there will be different Fuel Services and procedures they will need to take into account before they work on your furnace.

Check For Noise

Is your furnace making any unusual noise? Devices make such sounds when there is some obstruction in their operation. Simply keeping an ear open for any such noise can help you catch many issues that can prevent unwanted expensive repairs. Of course, all the problems can’t be remedied with this, however, it’s a good starting point. So, one should never ignore if your furnace is making any such noise.

Get Inspection Done Every Year

Even when you follow all the steps mentioned above, a yearly inspection can help you avoid major issues. If the furnace is inspected by a trained technician, he/she can catch issues that you normally wouldn’t notice. So, one should always approach HVAC companies for maintenance or furnace repair whenever the need be. Such companies can always be trusted to keep your equipment in top shape.

Know Warranty Details

Knowing the warranty details for your heating system can be pretty handy to you in case a repair or maintenance is required. If you think you are facing any issue with your furnace and require a repair, check if it is covered in the warranty. It will help you know the period of coverage and what all repairs can be covered if your heating system fails or shows problems.

New furnaces can also offer free maintenance visits for the first couple of times or more. Do check if you have such a visit pending before you call a technician home.

Leverage The Thermostat

The modern furnace systems come with functions to control the thermostat. These help you to warm your home as per your comfort. At the same time, you do not waste energy and end up with unwarranted utility bills. If you are unsure about how to program the thermostat, you can ask the technician who comes for scheduled maintenance. He can show you how to operate and control the settings.

If you want to read more about maintenance, you can visit: https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/furnace-maintenance.htm

Moving home can be overwhelming. And maintaining the new one can seem to be a bigger challenge. However, with simple planning and organization, you can ensure that your house remains problem-free. With the above tips, you can maintain not only your furnace but other equipment such as dehumidifiers and air purifiers.