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Preparing your furnace for winter is an important task. If you don’t make sure your furnace is winterized you could face a cold winter, high monthly heat bills, carbon monoxide poisoning, or fires. To avoid having to deal with these costly and dangerous consequences make sure you take the proper precautions before the winter hits. Here’s how:
Make sure any items, especially flammable ones, are not near your furnace. If items are too close to your furnace, it’s possible they will catch fire. Also make sure there aren’t any objects blocking the vents throughout your house. The warm air that your furnace is circulating needs to flow easily or your furnace will have to work much harder, which will increase your monthly bills. Keep obstructions away from the exhaust flue, too because this will also cause your furnace to work harder than necessary to provide your home with the proper amount of heat.
* Clean and Replace Filters
Another measure you can take to prepare your furnace for the winter is to clean and replace the filters. You don’t want to have clogged filters because yet again your furnace will be providing less heat, making it work harder to operate to your liking. In addition to running up your monthly bills, clogged filters could also cause your furnace to break. If your furnace breaks then your expenses will really skyrocket. A broken furnace means you’re going to be rather chilly until it can be replaced or repaired.
* Check the Furnace Motor
Check to make sure your furnace’s belts aren’t loose (yes, they have belts like any engine), the motor is running properly, and the blower doors are in working order. If these internal organs aren’t functioning properly your furnace will likely be a danger to your home. This could cause your furnace to no longer separate carbon monoxide from the air it’s circulating throughout your home. If you see that any of these parts aren’t working make sure you call an HVAC professional to come repair them. Replacing and fixing these furnace components isn’t a job for a novice.
Instead of waiting until the snow falls to discover your home is the temperature of your icebox, take these steps to winterize your furnace. By taking measures ahead of time, you will save yourself time, money and the hazard of an unprepared winter furnace.
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Editor’s Note: Here’s a a list of checklists from furnace manufacturer Trane, which may be useful. A broader article from This Old House, here. For more information about your HVAC system, and seasonal tasks to perform each fall, stay right here. See our Kiss Ass Fall Maintenance Checklist. Thanks.
Lauren Beerling is a writer for a Minneapolis Heating Repair company. ~jb
Image by way of Laureen Beerling behalf of Sedwick Heating.