Now that the holidays are over, and the New Year is officially here, one big question that every homeowner must have is if their furnace is ready for 2018.
This question is important to ask because in Southern California we typically have our coolest months from January to April and you want to make sure that your furnace is ready for use when you turn it on or you could find yourself braving cooler temperatures until you get it fixed.
How to Get Your Furnace Ready for The New Year
Like other appliances that you may own, a furnace has actual parts that require servicing on an annual basis because if they are left unchecked it’s possible that a furnace may start malfunctioning due to issues that could have been easily resolved.
If it’s been a while since your furnace has had a “check-up”, one of the best things that you can do yourself is to either clean or replace your furnaces air filter and remove any dust, dirt, or other debris from the area surrounding your furnace to ensure that it’s able to blow / function normally.
Let’s say that you’re a “handy” person and feel comfortable working on your furnace yourself; you can ensure that your furnace is ready to keep your home warm this winter by following these tips.
Tip 1 – Turn the electrical power switch for your furnace to the off position and remove the combustion chamber door.
Tip 2 – Inspect the Flame – Once the combustion chamber door is off, turn your furnace back on and spend a few minutes examining the burner flames. They should be burning even and blue; if they are burning yellow this could be a sign that you have dirty burners.
Tip 3 – Vacuum your burners – Turn off the power to your furnace again and turn off the gas too. Once both are off you should vacuum your furnaces burners and also your furnaces base since these areas are often covered with dust after months of not being used.
While you have the combustion chamber door to your furnace off, you should also attempt to clean the pilot light by cleaning dust off it. Don’t use compressed air, instead, you should use a drinking straw and gently blog air onto your pilot light or hot surface igniter.
You may even want to attempt to remove your furnace’s blower (if it can be easily removed) and clean the blower blades with a wire brush.
Once you’ve cleaned your furnace, reattach the combustion chamber door, turn the power and gas back on, then test your furnace to verify that it’s functioning properly.