The furnace in your home is a significant piece of equipment dedicated to essential functions, including home heat supply and thermostat regulation, requiring consistent care for optimal performance. By taking strategic precautions such as regular cleaning, lubrication, checking electrical connections, and maintaining your furnace, you can secure energy savings on your bills.
Here are some tips for how to clean your furnace:
- Ensure the air vents are not blocked by furniture, other objects, or a buildup of lint or dust. This can cause poor airflow throughout the home, resulting in high energy bills.
- Check for lint buildup inside the ducts of your heating system and vacuum them often. This will help improve airflow through the HVAC system and prevent fires from starting due to overheating components inside the furnace itself! Professional duct cleaning is always a good idea.
- Check filters are clean before turning on your heating system each year. This ensures only clean air is being circulated throughout the home while using it during cold seasons.
Furnaces are one of the most essential appliances in homes, even in regions like Las Vegas. They control the thermostat to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Therefore, it is crucial to regularly maintain a furnace to ensure maximum operation and avoid a hefty heating repair bill. Ignoring a problem like worn belts or faulty electrical connections can be costly!
The best way to maintain a furnace is to ensure it remains free of dirt and other unwanted particles that could cause it to work less effectively.
Furnaces are pretty easy to clean. It’s not a daily chore, but rather an annual task. However, once a year is a good time to check for any clogs or blockages that could put undue stress on the system, hindering its performance. Simple techniques like vacuuming or using a damp rag work well.
Adhering to safety considerations, when you clean your furnace, ensure it’s unplugged and cooled down before diving in. These precautions will help prevent any hurt while working on the system. Additionally, if you encounter any unusual scenario like an animal nest, don’t hesitate to contact a professional immediately for assistance!
After receiving your heating bill, you might be inclined to seek savings. These maintenance tips can help maintain your furnace’s health and your wallet.
Tips for How to Clean Your Furnace
Cleaning your furnace is one of the best ways to preempt a major heating repair bill.
Most furnaces are made up of three primary parts:
- burner
- blower
- heat exchanger
The burner heats the air that flows through the heat exchanger, which subsequently directs it into your homes. The blower, in turn, circulates this warm air throughout your living space.
The various components within your furnace can accumulate dirt over time, particularly if you neglect regular cleaning. Buildup on surfaces both inside and outside your furnace, including areas like the burner and blower fans, can lead to component wear and eventual hefty repair bills.
Here are some tips for keeping your furnace clean:
Check Your Furnace’s Filter
The foremost measure in the DIY cleaning process for a furnace is to check the filter system. If the furnace filters are reusable, they need to be thoroughly cleaned of all undesirable particles before the winter. Once the chilly season hits, the furnace will be consistently running. If the filter is disposable, it should be replaced with a new one.
Through the winter, ensure monthly filter checks. For a rudimentary filter check, remove it from the furnace and hold it against the light. If it appears clogged with dirt, a replacement is necessary.
- Clean out lint filters regularly. Lint builds up on the filter screen over time, reducing airflow through the system and leading to other problems. For example, if it’s not functioning at its peak performance, carbon monoxide can leak into your home from blocked airflow caused by dirty filters. If you don’t know how often to change disposable filters, check with your furnace manufacturer or local HVAC company for guidance on how often they should be cleaned. The suggested frequency to change or clean your filters is based on usage patterns in your home, the number of people, the area in which you live, pets, etc.
- First, turn off the electricity at the fuse box or breaker panel.
- Next, remove debris around the furnace and the surrounding area. If you have pets or children in the house, ensure they’re not around when you do this!
- Use a vacuum cleaner to clean out any dust bunnies or other debris accumulated in your furnace’s vents and filters.
- When vacuuming is complete and after ensuring all power has been turned off, use a damp cloth to wipe down all surfaces inside and outside your heating system. Be sure not to use too much water, though!
The second step in the process revolves around disassembling and cleaning the blower assembly—comprising the motor and the fans that facilitate blower air movement. A toothbrush can effectively clean these components once separated.
- just enough moisture on the cloth so it won’t damage anything
- enough moisture so dust doesn’t stick around as easily once it dries off
Clean the Blower Assembly
It bears emphasizing that annual cleaning of the blower is crucial; otherwise, dirt clogs can hamper the entire assembly functioning, affecting the furnace’s capacity to uniformly distribute heat throughout the home.
Before reassembling the blower and reinstalling it in the furnace, vacuuming the area where the blower was initially stationed is advised. Using a vacuum with a hose attachment can efficiently remove dirt and other blocked particles from where the blower used to be. Additionally, vacuuming the output vent areas, when feasible, is a good practice.
In essence, the two primary parts—the filter and the blower—of the furnace need regular cleaning. Although much of furnace maintenance and cleaning can be undertaken by homeowners, it’s not always recommended.
Regular furnace maintenance, including checking belts and electrical connections, is one of the most effective ways to keep your heating expenses in check.
How Routine Maintenance on Your Furnace Can Save Money on Your Energy Bills
However, the benefits extend beyond mere savings. Proper maintenance also safeguards you from substantial future heating repair bills.
Here’s why:
Furnaces are machines, forming an integral part of your household, and like any other machine, they need regular care and cleaning to keep running properly. If you don’t have a clean furnace, it can start to get clogged up with dust and other particles. The air filters can get blocked, which will make it harder for your unit to do its job efficiently, leading to an undesired decline in air quality for your family. This can lead to issues like poor airflow and reduced efficiency, signs that should not be ignored. These are the things that can cause your energy bills to skyrocket, especially during the season when the furnace usage is high!
So what should you do? It’s a straightforward thing: Just clean out your furnace once or twice a year (depending on how much dust accumulates in your home). You can do this by taking off the front panel of your unit and vacuuming any debris or lurking dust particles that have been collected inside. Look for cracks or leaks that might hamper its performance. If animal dander or other allergens are present, be sure to use a HEPA filter when you vacuum them up, so they don’t re-circulate into the air of your home!
When saving money on your energy bills, there may be no better way than by scheduling a regular furnace tune-up, thereby keeping your furnace in good condition with regular maintenance.
Furnace maintenance can save you a lot of money in the long run. In fact, maintaining your furnace is one of the best ways to keep it running efficiently, which means you’ll use less energy and reduce your carbon footprint.
Regular furnace cleaning by an HVAC professional not only helps improve its efficiency but also prolongs its life. This will also help reduce the dust and other particles from clogging up the internal parts, which can compromise the functioning of your heating system. When we clean a furnace, we remove all of these particles, so they don’t have an opportunity to accumulate and cause problems later down the road!
Did you know that a dirty furnace can cost you an extra $200 per year in energy bills? If you want to save money on energy bills, consider scheduling regular professional furnace cleaning. Furnaces are one of the most expensive appliances in your home, so it’s important to keep them working efficiently. Additionally, cleaning your furnace regularly will reduce its wear and tear, leading to fewer repairs. This will save you money in the long run!
If you’ve been putting off cleaning your furnace because you don’t have time, we’re here to tell you that it’s not as big of a deal as you think. All it takes is about an hour of your time and a little maintenance knowledge to keep your furnace running smoothly for years to come!
How Often Should You Clean Your Furnace?
Cleaning your furnace helps prevent buildup in the ductwork that can cause overheating and inefficient operation. If you don’t clean it regularly, dirt and dust can build up on the system’s inner parts, affecting air flow and trapping heat generated by your furnace inside when it should be circulating throughout the house instead.
Why Do I Need to Clean My Furnace?
Avoid major heating repair bills by cleaning your furnace regularly. Nothing warms up a home and its residents’ spirits like a well-functioning furnace. However, if your furnace isn’t working properly, it can quickly become a costly repair bill. This is another reason why homeowners must keep their furnaces clean and well-maintained to avoid costly repairs in the future.
Cleaning My Furnace?
The Cooling Company offers complete heating system maintenance services in Vegas and surrounding areas, including the thorough cleaning and inspection of your home’s heating system, ensuring no blockage or damages exist.
The Cooling Company can help you avoid a major heating repair bill. If you’ve been considering getting your furnace cleaned or buying a new energy-efficient furnace, now is the time! Our approach is to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently. Our technicians will clean the outside and inside of your furnace. They’ll also inspect your ducts to ensure they’re in good condition and free from blockages or other issues.
- Annual inspections by experienced HVAC technicians
- Complete cleaning of all parts of the furnace (including coils)
- Flipping the filters monthly (as needed)
- Checking gas furnace pressure levels regularly
You can get all these services for one low price with any of our maintenance packages, which includes annual furnace tune-up and inspection of your home’s heating system!
For the best results and professional service, contact a local heating and cooling specialist like those at The Cooling Company. We guarantee quality service for your heating and air maintenance needs. Call today to schedule an appointment!
For the best results and professional service, contact a local heating and cooling specialist like those at The Cooling Company. We guarantee quality service for your heating and air maintenance needs. Call today to schedule an appointment!
