While much of your time this week may be spent planning, shopping, and preparing for the holidays, it might be a good idea to also check a list of your own ‘twice’, that being your home heating preparation and safety list.
Read on and watch the videos below to learn more about some key furnace safety tips, as highlighted in a recent news feature with our Service Manager, Bret.
1) Ensure Carbon Monoxide Safety
Here in the winter season, we use our furnace everyday. Have you ever thought about how safe your system that is operating 24/7 to keep your family comfortable actually is? An older furnace may have normal wear-and-tear that can lead to a number of safety issues, one of those being issues with the combustion chamber.
As described in the below video, a combustion analyzer is an essential tool for all of our HVAC service technicians, as it lets us know if the furnace is combusting properly and operating with safe levels of carbon monoxide. While this can be looked at during a service call or maintenance appointment, we always recommend having CO detectors placed throughout the home in order to ensure that your family is not being exposed to unsafe levels of CO.
CO poisoning is not something to take lightly; high levels of exposure can lead to sickness and even become fatal if not discovered quickly.
2) Understand Your Thermostat
Noticing any signs of heating inconsistencies in your home? Keep watch on your HVAC thermostat to see if the temperature is reaching the level that you have it set at. A fully functioning furnace should maintain that set temperature, at least within 2-3 degrees.
While some may not know this, your thermostat may actually require batteries to operate; if your furnace stops working, it could be a sign that your thermostat batteries have gone bad and need to be replaced. To avoid an untimely heating or cooling system shutdown, consider changing your thermostat batteries annually as you do your smoke and CO detector batteries.
3) Know What To Do If Your System Breaks Down
A furnace breakdown in cold weather is the last thing anyone wants. However, because it is running so much, this is most likely the time that it will. If your furnace stops running, there are a number of things you can try before you make the call for help.
The common result of a furnace shutdown, a dirty furnace filter can cause stress on the components of your system, resulting in it to overheat and short cycle. While many people forget to change or clean their filters regularly, this simple task can help prevent an HVAC system malfunction. If you experience an issue with your furnace, replace that filter and reboot the system to see if that provides a resolution. Read our full list of things to try in the situation of a furnace breakdown on our blog and listen to the recommendations of our Service Manager, Bret, in the video below to learn more.
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