Early Preventive Furnace Cleaning Before Winter

Anyone who lives in Cleveland is familiar with the ups and downs of weather throughout the year. Even in one week, you can have rain, sun, snow and hail. For that reason, it pays to be prepared for fall and winter months by having your furnace serviced early. By scheduling furnace service in Cleveland early in the fall before the weather changes, you can ensure that your furnace will work properly and that nothing is wrong.

Yearly Maintenance Checks

It is a good rule of thumb to have your furnace examined by an expert technician at least once a year before the cold season. The maintenance check can include a thorough cleaning of your furnace, filter replacement and a check to make sure there are no potential problems. It is much better to find a problem with your furnace before the frigid temperatures create a life or death situation without any heat. Without a working furnace, it is hard to maintain a living temperature in any home if it is cold enough outside. And it is always on the coldest days that your furnace will break down because it is working the hardest.

What Can You Do Yourself

Keep flammable materials and vapors away from any appliance, and that includes your furnace. Familiarize yourself where the emergency shutoffs are for your furnace's gas and electric. Keep kitty litter boxes, wood working equipment, and chemicals away from your furnace because fine dust and VOC's can wreak havoc on the air circulation system and the combustion side of your furnace.

Change the batteries in your thermostat. Most digital thermostats are powered from your furnace and most of these will also have a battery back-up, just in case the power goes out it will save the program memory. Newer thermostats have a low battery indicator. When low battery indicator goes off, batteries should be replace within 30 days to ensure proper operation continues.

Enough cannot be said about replacing filters regularly. Clean filters help your furnace or air handler distribute the warm, conditioned air more efficiently throughout your home. Keeping drapes, rugs and furniture away from supply and return air registers will also go a long way to keeping your home comfortable.

Whenever in doubt, call your heating professionals for advice or to have a comprehensive furnace tune-up performed on your furnace.