There are so many things to take care of around a house that sometimes it may seem like you are waiting for problems to show up more than looking for ways to prevent problems in the first place. One good way you can go about staying on top of things is to make a long list of all the different maintenance issues that you need to offensively check on throughout the year. Pull out a large-sized wall calendar and go through your list. Give each task its own day. Look at your calendar each day and see if anything needs to be done or checked on.
For example, Monday you may see its time to walk the property to verify there are no puddles indicating pipe leaks in the yard. Friday, you may see that it is time to walk around the house to check on the roof, the gutters and verify none of your window screens have ripped. Taking care of your furnace is definitely one thing you want to make sure you stay on top of, and this article will walk you through it.
Have a date set for a routine check-up
You can look your furnace over all you want, but no one is going to be better at catching warning signs better than a professional technician. Should problems be found, they can be fixed, and the furnace will work when you go to turn it on. With the check-up, you should also have the furnace cleaned and have a tune-up done.
Understand the warranty requirements for your furnace
It's important to fully read the warranty information for your furnace, if it is still under warranty, you will learn important requirements. If you do something wrong, it can completely void your entire furnace warranty. For example, if you do skip an annual check-up, that may void it. If you try to fix an issue on your own, that may also void it. Do everything the way they want so that you won't have to pay out-of-pocket during a period when the unit should still be covered.
What things can you do to fix issues that may be minor?
You might want to know what little things you can try to fix on your own if something comes up with your furnace. Anytime you notice things like less airflow, larger bills, and an all-around hard time reaching the desired temperature, then you want to check these things:
You want to be absolutely sure the filter is clean, even if it feels like you just recently cleaned it. To check the filter easily, you can remove it and hold a flashlight against it. Look through the filter toward the light. If you have a hard time seeing the beam, then you need to replace it.
Make sure the thermostat is set to where you want it. This may seem like it's just too good to be true that this would be the issue. However, many times someone will accidentally move the thermostat, or someone will think they are turning it up when they really turn it down. Since this is such an easy fix, it's best to check it before you worry about harder to deal with possibilities. Put new batteries in the thermostat and be sure the furnace is actually 'on'.
Contact your local furnace services today for more information and assistance.
