Before you call the heat repair professional, here are ideas to keep your heater operating great this winter season. Here are some heater tips to understand and care for your heating system. Here you will find out how test your furnace, how to turn it on and what to do if it won’t light.
Here’s how to turn on your heater:.
Check the breaker that regulates your furnace. Turn it on.
Look for the heater switch. Commonly it’s near the furnace. Turn it on.
Set your thermostat, switch the heater to heat, turn up the temperature level and the heater ought to be going!
How to change your furnace filter.
The furnace filter takes the dust out of the air that your heater is moving. After a while, it’s collected as much dirt as it can without slowing up the airflow in your air system. That’s the time to change the filter. Change it annually, in the fall, or more often, as needed. Filters are cheap and only take a few minutes to swap out.
Open the heater or filter door, Sometimes you have to look around a little to find it. It will be in the ductwork that returns air to your furnace.
Slide the old filter out. You can determine if it needs swapping if you see it covered with dust. You ought to be able to see through the filter. If you can’t, change it. Actually, filters are cheap enough, replace it anyway.
Slide in the fresh filter. Write the date on the visible edge of the filter.
Shut the door.
How to test your Furnace’s airflow.
Do you have a cold room in your house? Maybe you are wondering if the heater is pumping air at all? Here’s an easy way to check.
Turn off your heater at the thermostat. Take a common sized plastic garbage bag and tape it around a heat register. Turn on the heater. Time how many seconds it takes to fill up the bag.
Seconds: 2 = 75 CFM (cubic feet/minute).
Seconds: 4 = 40 CFM.
Seconds: 10 = 20 CFM.
If your system is pumping below 10 CFM, then you should get the system checked out. (See below).
What to do if your central heater won’t ignite.
OK, the house is cold, no air is being pumped. The heater is quiet. You hate to call the service man and have it be something you could have fixed yourself. What to do?
Check out the furnace switch, Is it on?
Is the thermostat set accurately? Is it switched to heat? Is the heat level set high enough?
If the thermostat has batteries, are they fresh?
Is the venting for the heating system blocked by snow or ice? (See below).
Is the circuit breaker in the breaker box switched on?
Is the heater door correctly closed?
Do you have to change the furnace filter?
If none of the above are the problem, call your heater repair specialist and they should be able to pinpoint and fix the problem.
How to remove vent blockages.
If you think the heater vent is plugged with ice or snow, here’s what you should try.
Turn off the heating system at the heater switch or at the breaker box. Them go remove the obstruction, when done turn the heating system back on.
What to do if your heater isn’t blowing air?
If your heater isn’t moving air and you’ve checked all of these, you may have a burnt out fan motor. Call the service technician and get them to take a look.
Do you smell gas?
Gas smells a bit like rotten eggs. It can explode or it can asphyxiate you. If you smell gas, don’t flip any switches. Open up your windows and go to a neighbors to call the gas company, and/or the fire department or your furnace repair professional, instantly. Don’t remain in a house that is leaking gas.
How to save money on your heat expense!
If your heater is outdated, think about replacing it. New furnaces are a great deal more efficient than old hardware, you will recoup the cost of the heating system, eventually, in your gas savings.
Does your home leak air?
A major loss of heat is around doors and windows. Seal up the cracks to save on your heat bill. A lot of gas companies have subsidized programs that will seal up your house for you. Otherwise do it yourself. There is more information at: airconditioningrepairminneapolis.net/
