We’re right in the middle of furnace season. As such, our furnaces have already seen some wear and tear. For this reason, they could be in need of a bit of maintenance.
The question is: what does midseason furnace maintenance entail? Fortunately, we have the answer. Take it from an Ocala HVAC company: here is what you should do to keep your furnace running efficiently.
Vacuum Vents
While you don’t have to clean out the entirety of your ducts, you might want to vacuum out your vents. After all, your vents are the portions of your ducts that are exposed to the rest of your home. As such, they’re most likely to be inundated with dust.
Remove the vent covers, place a hand vacuum over the vent opening, and vacuum out all visible residue. It will, at the very least, improve the air quality of your home.
Swap Out the Air Filter
Over time, HVAC systems take on a great deal of dust and debris. While all components of the HVAC system are exposed to this dust and debris, one component gets it worse than the others. This component is the air filter.
Want to maintain the efficiency of your furnace? If so, you should swap out the air filter every 1 to 2 months or so. Have dogs or cats in your home? If so, more frequent changes are recommended.
Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detector
Furnaces operate by igniting and utilizing fire. As such, they also create carbon monoxide. While they’re designed to safely filter this carbon monoxide out of their corresponding homes, they can sometimes run into complications.
Specifically, their flue pipes can deteriorate. Unfortunately, if they do, they can cause carbon monoxide to drift into the home. Because carbon monoxide is dangerous to breathe in, it can become a major health hazard.
For this reason, it’s important that you monitor the carbon monoxide levels around your furnace at all times. How can you do this? With the use of a carbon monoxide detector.
Already have a carbon monoxide detector installed? It’s recommended that you test it weekly. Don’t have one installed? Give us a call to install one as soon as possible!
Clean the Blower
Another key to midseason furnace maintenance is cleaning the blower. Failure to clean the blower will not only result in air quality issues, but efficiency issues as well.
Before cleaning the blower, make sure that the furnace has been shut off. Attempting to clean your furnace while it’s still on is dangerous, to say the least.
Once you’ve shut it off, open it up and follow the steps in this link. If you’re not interested in cleaning the blower yourself, an HVAC technician can do the job for you.
Check the Flue Pipe
The last bit of maintenance you’ll want to perform is fairly simple. All you have to do is take a look at the furnace’s flue pipe. This is the pipe that leads from the furnace itself to the roof of your house.
The goal is to make sure that it’s still intact. If it contains any holes, it could be allowing carbon monoxide to leak into your house.
Utilize the Maintenance Services of an Ocala HVAC Company
Do you need help with furnace maintenance? Are you looking to utilize the services of an Ocala HVAC company? If so, All American Air & Electric is ready to help.
Licensed and experienced, our team of HVAC technicians is well-versed in the maintenance of furnaces. Regardless of your furnace needs, we can accommodate them.
Contact us today to get started!