We all know the feeling of saying goodbye to the warm weather and shutting off the air conditioning only to turn on the heat. But have you done your furnace maintenance for the winter? While you may roll your eyes at this, this is an important step in ensuring that pet hair, dander, and dust aren’t clogging the airflow in your ducts and vents. So, let’s learn how to clean your furnace so you can stay toasty for the winter.
How Often to Clean Your Furnace
Your furnace is the one machine that prevents you from suffering through frigid temperatures, so regular maintenance is recommended. Not only can this ensure proper airflow, but it can also increase your furnace’s longevity, making it work more efficiently.
At the minimum, you should clean your furnace once per year before the winter. If you want to be extra diligent, you can also give it a good spring cleaning.
While cleaning only needs to happen about twice per year, regular filter changing is crucial. Here’s how often filters should be replaced.
- Fiberglass filters: 1-2 months during the time you use your furnace.
- HEPA filter: 2-4 months.
Take note that if you have many pets or smoke, you’ll have to clean the machine more frequently.
Furnace Maintenance Tips
If you’re still wondering how to service a furnace for the winter, here are a few simple yet efficient tips:
- Turn off the machine and turn off the source of electricity to it before cleaning it.
- Keep a collection of tools handy, on standby near your furnace, such as screwdrivers to potentially loosen the door for removal.
- Always have a collection of new backup filters so you’re always prepared for replacement.
Clean out Combustion Chamber
The first area you’ll want to clean is the combustion chamber, which is where the air and fuel mix. Remember, turn off the source of power first, as well as the machine.
To get rid of the fuel supply, twist the valve. The next part is removing the flap with a screwdriver and vacuuming the inside of the chamber.
Clear Blower Compartment
The blower compartment filters returned air that has already circulated through your house. To clean it, remove the door and do a thorough vacuum inside.
If corrosion has occurred and you see holes, be sure to seal them with foil tape.
Clean Furnace Filter
While reusable filters exist and you can clean these with soap and water, it’s better to replace your old filter with a new one.
This will ensure more powerful and healthier airflow.
Oil Motor Bearings
Motor bearings are found on older models of furnaces. Take a clean cloth or disinfectant wipe and clean the caps.
Then, remove the caps and drip a couple drops of machine oil into the bearings. Next, put the caps back on and you’re good to go.
Contact Us
If you’d rather leave the cleaning to the professionals, then call One Stop HVAC and we’d be happy to help. We are the number one choice for reliable HVAC services in Barrie. We are proud to serve Barrie and nearby areas including Midhurst, Midland, Port Severn, Penetanguishene, Cold Water, Orillia, Newmarket, New Tecumseth, Bradford, Innisfil, Stayner, Cookstown, Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, and many more!
