Get Your Furnace Ready for Winter

It’s not uncommon to simply turn on your furnace for the first time in months and do nothing to get it ready for the Winter season, but is that recommended? Yes, your furnace will still function, but with a few simple tasks you can keep your monthly heating bill low, prevent a breakdown and even prolong the life of the unit.

Here are 4 simple ways to get your furnace ready for winter. If you have any questions or concerns about your furnace, always consult an HVAC technician!

1. Change the filter

At an absolute minimum, your furnace filter needs to be changed before the winter season. Changing your furnace filter before the season could save you up to 15% on your energy bill. These filters are very inexpensive and could be saving you hundreds of dollars per season. In addition, changing your filters on a regular basis prolongs the lifespan of your system prevents breakdowns, and keeps your furnace and vents clean.

2. Get a tune-up

Getting a professional tune-up is the most efficient way to get your furnace ready for the winter season. The technician will make sure the unit is clean, check for any necessary repairs, lubricate the blower motor, and get your unit running at its peak performance to save you money on your monthly bill. Every other tip on this list is taken care of during a standard furnace tune-up. Click here to see what you can expect to be done during a furnace tune-up.
If the furnace is more than 15 years old, we highly recommend having an HVAC technician take a look at the unit before you run it for a full season. The older your furnace gets, the more repairs and cleaning it will need to keep up. A technician can clean the system and take care of any repairs to prevent an even more expensive repair or complete breakdown.

3. Test your thermostat

If you live in a city like Aurora, Colorado, chances are you have already switched between your air conditioner and furnace a few times before Winter hits. When you turn on your furnace for the first time in several months, make sure the flame ignites and is burning the gas being pumped into the unit. If there is no flame but the furnace is on, turn off your furnace immediately and call an HVAC technician.

4. Clean around and inside the unit

Make sure there is nothing being stored around the furnace and the area is free of dust and debris. Furnaces get very hot and having anything within 30 inches is a fire hazard.

Cleaning the inside of the unit is much more complicated, so if you’ve never done it before, we recommend talking to a professional. Keeping things like the blower motor, ignitor and sensor clean help your furnace run efficiently. If you have several pets or someone in your home has a compromised immune system, keeping the inside of the furnace clean is even more important.

Here in Colorado, we experience below freezing days and really put our furnaces to the test. Make sure your furnace is ready for the Winter season! Contact Grand Home Services online or give us a call for a furnace tune-up, cleaning, or even emergency repair.