Furnace Maintenance - Keep Your Furnace Clean!

[Marcus Hudgins]

Just like everything in your home, you always want to keep your furnace clean. A build up of dirt and dust can mean a breakdown of the efficiency of your heating system. And these days, who can afford to waste anything, let alone fuel. These steps apply whether you are doing gas furnace maintenance, oil or electric furnace.

There are three areas you want to pay attention to when it comes to furnace maintenance. They are the furnace filters, the blower and the motor.

A typical furnace tune-up:

• check the operation of burner
• inspect the heat exchanger
• check the blower operation (clean if needed)
• check the amperage (oil if needed)
• check the fan belt
• check the condensate drain
• check the condensate drain wiring
• inspect the wiring for cracks or loose connections visually inspect the heat exchanger for cracks
• check the calibration and operation of limit controls (limit switch, pressure switch and roll out switch)
• check the fan limit, check the high limits
• check the thermostat calibration and anticipator
• check the operation of the ventor
• check for carbon monoxide near the furnace and throughout the house.