For those cold Michigan nights it’s important to have a furnace that keeps your home warm. I’ve put together a few tips in this article that can help keep your furnace running smoothly so you don’t have to face a cold night without out. These tips can be done by a home owner as well so you don’t need to worry about any technical aspects of the unit.
Tips to Keep Your Furnace Running Smoothly in Michigan
First I wanted to say that by doing simple preventative maintenance on your furnace you can extend the life of it. You can also help to make it more energy efficient. And you can also find problems before they become complete disasters. The tips below have much to do about preventative maintenance and what you can do to help your furnace last longer and provide heat for years to come.
Change the Filter in Your Furnace
One of the best things you can do as a home owner is to make sure the air filter in your furnace is always in good shape. Changing the air filter for your furnace means it will have less air drag on the system in total which helps the energy efficiency of the unit. In order to keep your furnace running smoothly make sure you change your air filter ever 4 to 6 weeks depending on the environment where you live.
Clean Areas Around the Filter and Registers
Dust and debris can accumulate around the furnace where air if forced in and out of the unit. The air return and filter area usually has dust that is built up from normal operation. You may also notice dust around the air registers as well. Removing this dust can help your air flow much better and also helps to prolong the life of the air filter. Use a vacuum with a hose attachment to vacuum dust from around the filter area and registers. You may need to switch the furnace off while doing this and changing the filter to prevent any dust from entering the system.
Get Your Furnace Inspected Annually
To keep your furnace running smoothly one of the most important things you can do is to get an annual inspection. An HVAC company will send a technician to inspect your unit and test components to make sure it’s working at peak performance. This annual inspection can also locate problems before they occur. If you aren’t currently getting an annual inspection of your HVAC unit then your furnace may be using more power than it should and it may be on the verge of failing and you don’t even know it. Getting annual inspections can help identify problems before they happen. Most HVAC inspections also offer cleaning the interior of the unit.
Cleaning interior parts of the HVAC unit are not recommended for home owners because of the many dangers including electric shock. But for technicians who are qualified and trained in HVAC repair, cleaning the coils and ducts are a great addition to inspection. Annual inspections for your HVAC unit are usually recommended at the start or end of a heating need. But if you haven’t had an inspection in the last year or more then chances are you’ll need one as soon as possible.
