The HVAC Maintenance Checklist for Fall
As the fall season arrives and the cooler weather sets in, it’s the perfect time to ready your HVAC system to handle the coming winter. Regular fall HVAC maintenance prevents premature system failure and ensures your home stays safe and warm. Here are a few quick tips to ensure your furnace is running its best this fall.
1. Stay on Top of Professional HVAC Inspections
There’s not much that is more important to maximize furnace efficiency than routine maintenance. While it’s possible to handle a few fall HVAC maintenance tasks by yourself, only a professional can provide a thorough inspection, cleaning and other tune-up tasks. Industry experts recommend professional AC maintenance every spring and furnace maintenance at the start of fall.
Regularly scheduled HVAC maintenance helps limit energy waste and keeps your system running smoothly. The time a technician has during an inspection to catch small issues before they wreak havoc also minimizes the chances you’d need a costly, last-minute fix.
General Heating Safety
1. Clear Your Furnace Room
Your furnace requires adequate space to avoid the risk of problems. Don’t store any belongings within 10 to 15 feet of the unit. If your utility closet is on the smaller side, do your best to ensure the area is clear apart from the HVAC equipment. Place flammable materials like paint, cleaning supplies and aerosol sprays separate from your furnace.
2. Continue to Ensure Your Home Is Safe from Heating-Related Fires
The gas furnace is a major source of home fires. Follow these tips to keep your family safe:
- Should you notice weird noises or smells from your furnace, shut it down and call an HVAC professional.
- Store flammable materials far from heat sources, particularly space heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and other gas appliances.
- Don’t leave space heaters or other portable systems running if you’re not there.
- Similarly, never use an extension cord with space heaters.
3. Ensure Smoke, Carbon Monoxide Alarms Work
These important safety devices warn you of emergencies like a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Conduct monthly tests to verify they’re all working, and check/replace the batteries every year. Only remove the batteries if you’re planning to replace them immediately.
Confirm That the Air Vents Have Been Cleaned and Sealed
1. Inspect the Furnace Flue
An obstructed flue pipe can result in harmful backdrafting, raising the risk of carbon monoxide exposure. Before running your furnace this fall, inspect the exhaust outside to ensure it’s not obstructed by anything. If the flue is obstructed, reach out to an HVAC Expert for help.
2. Check Your Air Ducts for Dust, Debris
Every now and then, set aside a few minutes to check all the air duct registers in your home. When you see lots of dirt and dust buildup, grab your vacuum’s brush attachment to clean everything away. Ensure that no return or supply vents are blocked by furniture, rugs or curtains to maintain proper circulation.
Closing vents in unused rooms might sound like an effective way to lower HVAC bills, but it can also cause uneven air distribution, increasing the strain on your system and counterproductively driving utility costs UP. Keep at least 80% of your registers open to maintain efficient airflow.
3. Seal Any Leaks in the Ductwork
Inefficient air ducts let heating and cooling escape, contributing to higher energy costs. Despite the name, duct tape is a poor solution for sealing leaks in the air ducts. For the best results, call an Expert to properly patch the leaks in your ductwork. The investment will lower your heating expenses, improve comfort and even boost indoor air quality.
A Few More Items on Your Maintenance Checklist
1. Change the Air Filter Regularly
Typical HVAC air filters capture dust, allergens, hair and other common forms of airborne debris, shielding your HVAC system. High-efficiency filters better maintain indoor air quality by capturing microscopic pollutants. As time passes, the air filter will clog up, which hinders airflow and can place added strain on your system. To help put a stop to this, change the filter every one to three months.
2. Set Your Thermostat for Heating Energy Efficiency
With the weather cooling off soon, it’s time to adjust your thermostat from the AC to the furnace or heater. Adjusting your thermostat settings for each season limits energy waste and helps make your home comfortable. Here are some tips:
- Avoid overriding programmed settings. Instead, grab a blanket or sweater if you are still too cold.
- When it IS necessary to change the temperature, do so one degree at a time. Setting it as high as possible isn’t the shortcut some people hope it is.
- Keep the temperature at 70 degrees or below at home.
- Further lower the temperature to around 62 degrees whenever you’re not home or when you’re asleep. A smart thermostat can manage these day-to-day adjustments for you.
3. Think About Upgrading the Old HVAC System
Once your heating is more than 10 years old, it could be as low as 60% as efficient and approaching the end of its service life. Rather than letting it reach total system failure, think about upgrading it. A new, high-efficiency furnace is capable of AFUE ratings as high as 97%, providing energy savings right away and total comfort for the winter months ahead.
Avoid a Heating Headache and Call Freedom Heating & Cooling today
If you need help completing the items on this fall HVAC maintenance checklist, Freedom Heating & Cooling gets the job done right. We offer fast, long-lasting solutions for all your HVAC service concerns. To book your furnace tune-up, please contact us today.
