How to Prep Your Furnace for the Winter Months

The ideal time for preparing your furnace for the cold months is before the winter sets in. You don’t want to turn on your furnace on a cold day only to discover that it isn’t working properly. Therefore, take the right steps as early as possible to ensure your furnace is operational, safe, and energy-efficient. Keep in mind that a lot of things can happen during the warm months that can affect your furnace. Here are some of the basic things you can do to prepare your furnace for winter.

Clean the Furnace Room

This is an essential thing to do, but most homeowners tend to overlook it. Typically, the room where your furnace is kept also serves as the storage room during the warm months when the furnace isn’t in use. In most homes in Texas, the furnace is covered with other stored objects, and the entire room is cluttered. Take some time to relocate all the things that have been placed against or near your furnace and clean the whole room. You should also vacuum the outside surface of your furnace and all the surrounding areas to remove the dust, dirt and cobwebs that have formed over time. The furnace should be fully visible, especially its pilot lights.

Change/Clean the Air Filters

The air filters act as the first line of defense for your furnace, hence the need to keep them clean. It doesn’t matter whether you have several air filters behind your vent grill in your ceiling or if you have a single air filter in the HVAC itself. Make sure that you change or clean your air filters before winter sets in and continue doing so monthly. Cleaning or replacing your air filters regularly will help to keep dirt and other destructive particles out of your furnace, thus prolonging its lifespan.

Schedule Your Furnace Maintenance Early Enough

Furnace maintenance is key to the efficient operation of your equipment. A well-maintained, energy-efficient furnace will ensure that your home stays warm throughout winter. Experts recommend that you should schedule furnace maintenance several months before the winter period to avoid the last-minute rush. You should keep in mind that the furnace professionals are usually very busy during the winter period and may not be at your home on time when something goes wrong. Scheduling furnace maintenance is the best way to save money in the long run.

Turn on Your Thermostat

This is the right time to switch from summer cooling to heating since the temperatures have begun to drop. To achieve the best results, make sure that you set the temperature a few degrees higher than your current house temperature. If you don’t feel the heat kick in within a minute, be sure to pull off the cover of your thermostat and check to see whether the wire connections are all secure. If everything is okay, be sure to check the furnace fan or your heat pump.

Contact Efficient Climate Control today for top-quality air conditioning and heating services. We are locally owned and offer services of the highest standards to satisfy our customers’ needs.