When you turn your furnace on in the winter, you most likely don’t think about it until you notice your house isn’t as warm as you’d like, so you go to thermostat and turn it up a few degrees. The furnace compensates and before long, every room is warm and toasty. With a well-maintained heating system, you can look forward to a worry-free winter where your house is warm and your utility bill is reasonable. However, there are things that you as a homeowner may do that can negatively impact the functionality and performance of your furnace or boiler. At G & R Heating and Air, we can provide heating repair when you need it, but in this blog, we’ll cover a few things you can do to stay safe and keep your house warm this winter.
Don’t Store Flammable Items Near Your Furnace
This might seem like an obvious one, but it’s very likely that your furnace is in a utility closet or laundry room where you also store things like paint, cleaning products, and other chemicals. You’ll want to make sure these items are stored at a safe distance from the furnace or boiler, so you avoid a potentially catastrophic fire in the middle of winter. Chemicals with a low flash point (the temperature at which they will ignite) should be stored in an entirely different area of the house, or better yet, the garage.
Don’t Cover or Block Vents and Returns
The efficacy of your furnace relies on the ability for air to move and circulate throughout the house. If you have furniture or drapes that are covering vents and returns, the temperature of the room is going to be impacted, and the furnace is going to work harder to adequately heat your house. You also run the risk of a certain material becoming too warm and potentially being damaged. The same is true if you close vents, since that changes the pressure inside your HVAC system. This can lead to poor furnace performance, which can lead to higher utility bills.
Change the Filter Often
Again, this might seem like an obvious tip, but you might be surprised at the number of homeowners who only change their furnace filter once or twice a year. Changing the filter is a relatively simple process, but if you’d rather have a professional handle it, we’re more than happy to help. If the filter isn’t changed often enough, it can become clogged, which prevents enough air from blowing over the heat exchanger. This again will decrease your furnace’s efficiency, creating higher bills for you during the winter months.
If you need your furnace repaired or maintained this winter, please call G & R right away. We can thoroughly inspect your heating system for any problems, and help you get the most out of your furnace when you need it most. If we see any potential hazards, we’ll always inform you, as we want you and your family to be safe at all times.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!