3 Simple Steps for Maintaining Your Furnace

As winter rolls in across the nation and the cold weather kicks into full swing, we spend more and more of our time indoors. There is one item in nearly every home that we count on all winter long. We need this item to be working without fault, to perform as expected, and to do so in an efficient manner. Without this item, cold winter weather would seep into our homes and cause great discomfort. With the importance of this one single item perhaps we should look into ways to insure that it will continue to work flawlessly for years to come.

As the title suggest and as you have probably discovered by now, the item to be discussed is your furnace. Your furnace is perhaps the single most important appliance in your entire house yet we let maintenance of a furnace lag and forget that inspections and cleaning are simple ways to extend the life of your furnace. If you have ever lost the use of your furnace in the middle of winter then you understand how vital a furnace can be. Within hours, the house temperature will drop dramatically. Within a day, the cold temperatures inside can become unbearable. Ensuring that your furnace will continue to work for many years does not take much more than a few simple steps. Listed below are three simple steps that any homeowner can do. Following these steps will likely extend the life and reliability of your furnace.

First, replace the air filter. This can not be stressed enough. Not only does the air filter eliminate dust within your house, it also eliminates the build-up of dust within your furnace. Your air filter should be replace several time a year. An extremely clogged air filter will make your furnace work harder. The restriction of airflow through an old air filter causes a lack of air movement within the furnace and can even trigger error codes due to air restriction or built up heat.

Second, remove built up dust and debris from within the furnace. You should thoroughly clean the interior of your furnace each and every time you replace you air filter. Don't worry, the task is simple. Turn the furnace off and take off the cover for your furnace. Then dust the interior of the furnace just like you would dust your house. Pay attention to dust build up around the burners and electronics. All that you are trying to do is to remove foreign matter located within the furnace. It is truly a simple task, no special tools required.

Finally, look around inside your furnace. You are conducting a visual inspection. Does anything appear to be noticeably broken? Are there obvious signs of heat damage? Are electrical wires in good condition.? Are the electrical connections all intact? Does anything else look wrong? Remember, you are not a heating and cooling specialist, you are simply looking for anything that seems out of place. Common sense will guide you through this step.

And that's it. Modern furnaces require little more maintenance than what is listed above. This routine maintenance will help prevent problems down the road and perhaps catch some problems before they become major. Best of all, the entire task take about five minutes, costs a few bucks, and only needs to be done a few times per year. Now you can enjoy those cold winter nights inside your warm, cozy home.