It feels great to return to your warm and toasty home in Pound, VA, after spending time outside on a cold winter’s day. Follow these furnace maintenance tips to ensure your system works safely for the rest of winter:
Keep the Area Clear Around It
Whether your furnace is in the basement or a utility closet, you must ensure the area around it is debris-free. Store flammable items like paint cans, newspapers, trash, cardboard boxes and clothing away from the system to prevent fires.
Make Sure the Pilot Light is Blue
All furnaces, whether electric or gas-powered, have pilot lights that should flicker a strong, steady blue. If the pilot light is orange or yellow, the fsystem is burning fuel inefficiently because it’s not getting enough oxygen.
A furnace with a weak, discolored pilot light could release carbon monoxide into the air and sicken your household. Call for professional heating repair immediately if you notice the pilot light’s color has changed.
Keep Air Vents Open
Carbon monoxide poisoning can also happen when air vents become blocked. When fresh air can’t circulate, natural gases build up in the furnace and release into the air. Keep your home’s vents open to ensure that your household remains safe this winter.
Talk to Kids About Furnace Safety
Even though you’ve been using your system for some time now this winter, it’s never too late to give your kids a refresher about furnace safety. Remind them not to play around the system so they don’t get hurt. If the furnace is in an unfinished basement that your kids play in, keep their toys far from the unit.
Schedule a Professional Inspection
Stay current with yearly inspections and cleaning services. Annual maintenance ensures the furnace is operating safely and that any small issues get fixed.
Winter might be in full swing, but there’s still time to have your home’s furnace inspected. Call us at Mid Mountain Heating & Cooling to schedule maintenance services for furnaces and heat pumps.
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