Keeping warm during the cold winter season begins with regular heater maintenance. But if you’ve ignored your heater all year long, you may struggle to keep your home warm and comfy during the wintertime.
Fortunately, there are several pre-season preparation tips and tricks you can implement before the cold weather arrives. This guide will explore the most crucial home heater maintenance tasks.
You can use this information to keep your heater in top-notch shape and enjoy a warmer home throughout the winter.
1. Check Thermostat Batteries
Many home thermostats use batteries to light their display screens and keep them powered. These batteries can last several years between changes, but they can also expire without warning.
When your thermostat’s batteries die, you won’t be able to adjust your household’s temperatures. So, before the winter weather arrives, be sure to stock up on compatible batteries for your thermostat.
You can also take a proactive route and replace them right away. Doing so can ensure that your home’s heating remains consistent throughout the winter season.
2. Clean the Outdoor Condenser Unit
Maintaining your HVAC condenser unit is a crucial aspect of maintaining your heater. After all, the outdoor heat pump condenser box circulates air to keep your heating and cooling systems working.
If this unit is clogged with dead leaves and twigs, it won’t work efficiently. And an inefficient heat pump is bound to struggle with keeping your home warm throughout the winter.
As a result, be sure to inspect your condenser box and remove any debris that might be lingering inside it or around it. Keeping the space around this component free of obstacles significantly improves airflow.
If your condenser unit is located in a hard-to-reach location (such as the roof of your home or apartment), you may need to hire a team of HVAC professionals to help you get the job done.
3. Change HVAC Air Filter
Every home HVAC system utilizes an air filter to remove dirt, dust, and contaminants from your home’s interior air. These filters should be changed every three months.
If you live in an urban or industrial area, you may need to change this filter every month. A fresh air filter keeps your home’s air clean.
But it can also increase your heater’s efficiency.
After all, when your HVAC system isn’t working hard to blow air through a clogged and dirty filter, it consumes less power. Consequently, regular HVAC filter changes might help you reduce your seasonal heating costs.
4. Vacuum and Clean Air Vents
An HVAC air filter can remove a significant amount of contaminants from the air. However, these filters can’t stop tiny bits of dirt and dust from settling in your HVAC ductwork and vents.
Vacuuming your vents is an excellent way to reduce the amount of debris inside your ducts. And while you’re at it, you might also want to give your vents a quick wipe-down.
This simple step may prevent acrid burning smells from filling your home when you turn your heater on. It can also reduce the likelihood of heater-related fires.
But, of course, HVAC cleaning services can reach far deeper into your home’s ductwork than your household vacuum cleaner. Heating and air conditioning services can also help you keep your furnace debris-free.
5. Clean Furnace Burners
Almost half of all US homes (approximately 47%) use natural gas furnaces and heaters. This type of heating device is far less expensive to operate than electric options. However, they do require occasional maintenance.
One of the most common issues that natural gas furnaces experience during the winter is difficulty starting. Though this problem could have several causes, the most likely might be dirty furnace burners.
Your furnace’s burners convert natural gas into heat. Unfortunately, when they’re encrusted with dirt and dust, they can fail to ignite. Rust is also a common problem for furnace burners and a tricky issue to prevent.
Still, accessing your furnace’s burners can be challenging. It can also be dangerous, as these burners are connected to gas lines.
For that reason, it’s an excellent idea to hire a team of HVAC experts to maintain your furnace and its components.
6. Replace Carbon Monoxide Detector Batteries
While a carbon monoxide detector technically isn’t a part of a heater, any home with a heater should have one. These small wall-mounted devices are similar to fire alarms.
But instead of detecting smoke, they can sense invisible carbon monoxide gas in the air. This type of gas can be fatal when inhaled in large quantities, which is why it’s essential to install and maintain a warning system.
Remember, heaters that rely on gas to produce warm air create carbon monoxide. While this gas is often whisked away from interior spaces, a filthy or poorly maintained heater can push them into homes.
Checking your carbon monoxide detector’s batteries is an easy and worthwhile heater maintenance task that could end up saving your life.
7. Schedule a Professional Maintenance Service
Can you remember the last time you hired a professional maintenance team to inspect your heater? If you can’t, you may be overdue for a service.
Regular maintenance is vital to the lifespan, efficiency, and condition of your heater and HVAC system. It can also help you avoid expensive heater repairs.
So, be sure to schedule an inspection and maintenance service as soon as possible. Doing so can keep your household warm and safe during the upcoming winter season.
Invest in Heater Maintenance Today
If it’s been more than a year since your last HVAC maintenance service, you may want to schedule one before the cold weather arrives. After all, some heater maintenance tasks are too challenging to do yourself.
For example, cleaning your furnace burners can be dangerous and more than a little tricky. And broken heaters and heating components are a recipe for disaster.
AirPro Experts can ensure that your heater is in excellent shape and ready for the cold. Book a service online today!
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