As you start to prepare your home for the snowy winter weather, you likely have a long list of household maintenance items to take care of. One item you never want to overlook is heating system maintenance. We’re going to share some of our best tips for wintertime HVAC maintenance so you’ll be sure to get your system prepared for the cold weather ahead.
Clear Space Around Your Unit
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to stash items near their furnaces throughout the warmer summer months. While this isn’t a problem during the summer since your heating system isn’t running, it becomes a real hazard in the winter when you need to use it. To ensure the safety of your household, it’s necessary to allow a wide clear space around your furnace so it can get adequate air flow. Avoid keeping any sort of combustible or flammable objects within a close distance of your heating system as they can be a real fire hazard.
Schedule Service
Probably the best thing you can do for your HVAC system is to ensure that you schedule professional heating maintenance service. This service will include an in-depth examination of your heating system and will ensure that each component receives the care it needs to have a long lifespan. Furthermore, this maintenance service is a necessary requirement that most furnace manufacturers have to maintain the warranty coverage on your system.
Program Your Thermostat
Now is the perfect time to go ahead and switch your thermostat from cooling mode over to heating mode. If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, be sure to program in your ideal temperature settings. Doing this at the beginning of the winter season will help ensure that you’re being as efficient as possible with your energy usage.
Test Your System
Once your thermostat is programmed, it’s time to go ahead and test run your system. When you first hear it turn on, you may get a whiff of a burning smell. This should last for only a few moments and is simply the dust burning off the internal components of your furnace. You want to let it run for a few minutes and listen for any odd noises as well as take note of any odd smells.
It’s best practice to walk around your home and verify that each supply vent has an adequate amount of hot air coming out of it. You want to ensure that all your vents are completely open and free from any obstructions. It can also be helpful to examine the inside of your ducting at your vents to see if you could benefit from a duct cleaning service.
Order Fuel
If you have a heating system that relies on propane or heating oil, it’s a good idea to order fuel for your storage tank. Doing so now can help you avoid not having fuel when you want to start using your heating system for the year. Many folks find it beneficial to consider signing up for automatic delivery service.
Replace HVAC Filter
It’s good practice to replace the air filter inside your heating system at the beginning of the season. If you or another family member suffers from severe allergies, a respiratory condition, or even asthma, you may want to consider getting a filter with a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating of between 10 and 13. This will offer top-tier filtering to remove airborne allergens that would otherwise cause symptom flare-ups. It can be helpful to keep an additional filter on hand so that you can do a replacement whenever it’s necessary.
Schedule Chimney Cleaning
Unless your heating system runs on electricity, you have a chimney to vent the toxic fumes that the combustion process produces to the outdoors. Over time, soot and creosote can build up on the inside of your chimney. It’s an absolute necessity to ensure your chimney gets swept out by a professional every year. Ideally, you want to plan to do this in the fall so that your chimney will be nice and clear for the upcoming winter season.
Test Safety Devices
While the chance of your heating system malfunctioning in a dangerous manner isn’t overly high, it’s still a good idea to be prepared in the event that it does. You should have both carbon monoxide and smoke detectors strategically placed throughout your home to alert you of any potentially dangerous toxins in the air. Additionally, you want to have a fire extinguisher located near your heating system with an appropriate Type C or ABC rating.
Seal Air Leaks
Between your home settling into the ground and the natural process of expansion and contraction on various building materials, it’s likely that air gaps will develop around your door and window frames. It’s beneficial to check these areas by running your hand around them to see if you notice a difference in temperature. Any leaks that you identify should be sealed up with weather stripping or caulking.
Consider Duct Cleaning and Sealing Services
Just as air leaks can develop on your exterior walls, they can also develop in your ductwork. Unfortunately, these leaks can allow your precious hot air to escape into wall and floor cavities instead of making it into the rooms of your home. One of the best ways to combat these leaks is to have a professional perform duct sealing service on your ductwork. Another service you may want to consider is duct cleaning. This will help to remove any built-up debris inside of your ducting, which will enhance its airflow and the quality of air inside your home.
Change Ceiling Fan Direction
Ceiling fans are a cost-effective way of making your home more comfortable throughout the year. When transitioning from hot to cold weather, it’s important to change the direction your ceiling fan blades spin. In the cold season, your ceiling fan should be spinning in a clockwise direction. This will recirculate air from the top of the room back down to the floor.
Check Your Attic Insulation
The insulation in your attic provides a necessary barrier to prevent cold air from transferring into your home. Over time, insulation can wear down and lose its resistance to that cold temperature. Every winter, it’s advisable to check the state of your insulation to see if it needs to be upgraded or replaced. Typically, if your insulation has sunken down below the top of the floor joists in your attic, it may be time to add additional insulation to ensure you get optimal functionality out of your heating system.
Close Your AC Unit
If you have a home air conditioning system, it’ll need to be covered during the winter months to protect it from damage. You want to have a solid top that prevents any items from falling down into your unit. While protection is necessary on the unit’s sides, be sure that whatever material you use allows water to escape from the inside of the unit so it doesn’t rust out.
Reliable Heating Maintenance Service
Coffman & Company offers reliable heating maintenance service to the Denver, CO area. We can help with all your heating, air conditioning, water heater, gas piping, and indoor air quality needs. Call our office today to schedule your next consultation with one of our technicians.
