The last thing you want as a homeowner is the furnace breaking down in the middle of the night. While many people tend to have issues with their heating appliances, it doesn’t have to be the case with you.
This is because there are a number of things you can do to keep your furnace functioning optimally. Here are some of the things you can do as given by furnace service providers:
Ensure that the thermostat batteries are functioning optimally
One of the leading causes of a malfunctioning furnace is poor batteries. If you have a smart thermostat, it’s being powered by batteries. You don’t want the furnace to stop working in the middle of the night, do you?
For you to ensure that this doesn’t happen, you should regularly inspect the batteries and ensure that there is enough charge in them all the time. If the batteries are running low, you should recharge them. In some cases, you might find that the batteries are too old. In such a scenario, you have no way out other than to replace them.
Change the air filters regularly
You must have heard this thousands of times. You need to keep the air filters clean all the time for your furnace to be in good condition. If your furnace is working but there is little air blowing through the vents, chances are that the air filters are dirty and you need to think about cleaning them.
Due to their location, air filters tend to gather dust, dirt, and other air particles. Overtime, if you don’t clean them, they clog up to the extent that they restrict air from flowing through the furnace.
When the filters are dirty, the furnace not only functions harder than it should, it also tends to be at the risk of stopping at any time.
For you to keep your furnace functioning optimally, you should regularly clean the air filters. The best way of going about it is cleaning them at least once a month. In some cases, you might find that the filters are too dirty or damaged that you can’t clean them. Here, you have to replace the air filters.
When investing in the new units, go for high-quality pieces with a high rating. While they will be expensive to buy, they will most likely last for a long time. They also will do a better job at filtering the air getting into the furnace and into the house.
Prevent the return vents from getting blocked
It’s common for the return vents to be blocked by carpeting or furniture. The purpose of the return vents is to suck in cold air from the other rooms of the house and take it to the furnace. When the area around them is open, the heated air easily circulates around the house.
At least once a week, check the vents and ensure that they aren’t blocked by any materials. If they are, you should unblock them immediately.
Check the furnace exhaust or fresh air intake
While most furnaces vent through the chimney, there are a few that don’t. Some of the furnaces have fresh air intakes and intakes run through the side of the house. In some cases, the exhaust gases can even be sucked into the fresh air intake reducing the amount of gas getting burned.
Depending on the set up of the exhaust pipe, ice can block the furnace exhaust. If you notice that the furnace is blocked, you should contact a licensed technician to help you with the unblocking. If you have the skills, you can go ahead and unblock it by yourself but its highly discouraged.
Clean the condensate drain
On high-efficiency gas furnaces, water tends to condense at the power exhaust and drains away into a tube. Due to the presence of moisture, mold can form in the drain tubing, blocking it in the process. When there is a clog, the water tends to back up into the power exhaust, making the furnace stop working.
Before the heating season begins, furnace repair service ronkonkoma professionals recommend that you open up the drain pipe and if dirty, clean it.
