Before cold temps hit the Carolinas, it’s time to make sure that your furnace will get you through the upcoming winter. Below, we have an easy-to-follow, 5-step checklist that will help you identify potential issues in time to get them fixed before your furnace has to go on full-time duty.
Why Furnace Safety Is a Big Deal
Your furnace sits unused for the majority of spring, summer, and early fall. During this time, dust and debris can build up or components might have corroded. In a worst-case scenario, your furnace’s heat exchanger could crack. Once you restart your furnace in the fall, these issues can become apparent. Or, they might go unnoticed, which could possibly put your home and family in danger.
Your Before-Winter Furnace Safety Checklist
☑ First Thing’s First: Prep Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Fuel-burning furnaces create combustion gases that are harmful to human health. But when a furnace is working properly, these are vented outside and pose no danger to you or your house. It’s when your furnace might not be working right that you have to worry about gas entering your home and breathing it in.
This is why having a carbon monoxide detector in place is so important. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, so you can’t see it or smell it to know that it’s there.
You should test your carbon monoxide detectors before your furnace needs to be turned on for the winter. Put in a fresh set of batteries, regardless of whether you think the old ones are still good or not. Depending on the age and condition of your detectors, it may also be a good idea to replace at least one of them before the heating season starts.
Never ignore a carbon monoxide alarm. These devices don’t go off on their own. If one sounds, open the windows immediately, leave your home quickly, and call the fire department or 911.
Read more: Is Your Home Leaking Natural Gas?
☑ Filters Are Next
It’s a good idea to go into the heating season with a clean furnace filter. If your filter is clogged or dirty, this can restrict the airflow, which makes it difficult for your furnace to distribute the right amount of heat to the different areas of your house. Then, check your filter periodically throughout the winter. If you have pets, your filters might get clogged faster and need to be replaced more frequently.
Read more: How To Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter
☑ Look for Obvious Issues
You can do a basic visual check without taking your furnace apart or even taking the panel off. Just look around the system for anything that doesn’t seem right, like:
- Corrosion or rust of metal parts
- Water around the outside of the furnace
- Condensation on the panel
- Soot buildup or other discoloration
- Loose or damaged panels
- Damaged venting
- Signs of insect activity, like nest building
☑ Put Your Furnace to the Test
You really don’t want to wait until the first night you need your furnace to find out that it’s not working right. In the fall, you should turn your unit on long enough to check that everything is working properly. Usually, this just means letting it run through a few heating cycles before you turn it off again.
Make sure that your furnace turns on when it is supposed to and that the air coming out of your vents is warm. You also want to listen for any strange sounds and take note of any odors. You might smell a mild burning odor at first, but this comes from dust and pet dander that’s built up over the off-season and usually goes away after several minutes.
Then, check that your furnace cycles off once the temperature on your thermostat is met.
☑ Bring in a Professional
If your pre-winter inspection reveals anything suspicious, you should schedule a professional inspection right away. Even if everything seems to be running smoothly, it’s a good idea to have an HVAC contractor look at internal components and electrical connections that you can’t see and would be dangerous for you to check yourself.
Early to late fall is an excellent time for this, since you still have time to fix issues before you need to start using your furnace on a regular basis.
At Blue Ridge Heating & Air, we offer comprehensive furnace services to homeowners in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. Contact us today at (864) 777-4387 (Greenville, SC) or (828) 372-5324 (Brevard, NC).
