The Coshocton County Beacon September 17, 2020 | Page 21

September 17, 2020 The Beacon • 21
Check your furnace before
the temperatures drop
By Marianne Austin
When the temperature
drops to 50 F or lower in
the fall, it’s not the time
to find out your furnace
isn’t working. You
want your furnace to be
working safely, properly
and as energy-efficient as
you can make it before the
snow flies.
Da n iel W h a r t on’s
motto is “Why pay someone
to do a job that I can
do myself.” If you have the
time and you know what
you’re doing, you can do
most of the maintenance
yourself. Be sure to have
your heating oil tank filled
before cold weather starts.
Use a spray bottle of soapy
water to check gas lines
and valves for leaks. Just
spray it along the line and
it will bubble up where
there is a leak.
On older gas furnaces,
adjust and clean the pilot
burner, then make sure it
is lit. If you don’t have a
manual for instructions, it
should be written on the
side of the furnace. On
an old system, you have
to relight the pilot. Newer
systems have electronic
ignitors. If the ignitor
isn’t working, push the
reset button. If that doesn’t
do the trick, check your
breaker. If it still doesn’t
work, call a professional.
Check all the wiring on
electric furnaces, Wharton
said, then check the thermostat
to make sure it’s
working. Turn it up until it
kicks on, then turn it back
until it shuts off. Vacuum
out all of the duct work,
then give the furnace a test
run to blow the excess dust
out. You’ll probably want
to open your windows for
this because of dust and
fumes, he said.
Make sure your intake
register is clear and not
covered up so it has proper
air flow. To be more heatefficient,
make sure all
register vents aren’t covered
up with furniture,
File
You want your furnace to be working safely, properly and as
energy-efficient as you can make it before the snow flies.
drapes or anything that
blocks heat. Put a clean
filter in your furnace and
don’t forget to change your
filters every 30 days or
at least check them every
month to make sure they
are clean, Wharton said.
If the thermostat has
been working properly
during air-conditioning
season, then it will probably
switch over to heat
fairly easy. If it doesn’t, it
might be a power issue like
a breaker or a fuse. If that’s
not the cause, again, it’s
time to call a professional.
The best bet is to call an
HVACR professional and
have them come out and
inspect your furnace.
During a regular maintenance
inspection, the
repairman also can clean
the furnace, change the
filter, check for leaks and
unhealthy gases, and make
sure everything is working.
You also can pay them
to clean the furnace ducts.
Check intake and exhaust
pipes. Newer high-efficiency
furnaces will shut
off if something like a bird
or ice buildup blocks either
the fresh-air pipe or the
exhaust pipe. You’ll need
to go outside and peek
inside the pipes to see.
Sometimes a critter can
get caught in the line all
the way back to the furnace
and you won’t be able
to see it without taking the
pipe apart, a job best left
to a pro.
No matter how well you
take care of your furnace,
you still may need maintenance
and repair over
the years. To keep costs of
the repairs down, schedule
regular inspections of
your furnace with a heating,
ventilation and airconditioning
specialist.
These professionals can
help you in choosing and
installing a new furnace
when your old one needs
replaced too.
If your furnace is operating
correctly, it should
run about two or three
times in an hour. How long
it runs depends on how
cold it is outside. During
mild temperatures, it may
run 10 or 15 minutes, and
the colder it gets, the longer
it will run, obviously.
A tip to keep winter
heating costs down is
check windows and doors
for drafts. An easy fix is
installing weather stripping
and caulk around
windows. Replace screens
with storm doors to keep
the cold out. Check to see
if your attic has enough
insulation. Adding more
will help to reduce your
heating bill. Open your
drapes on sunny days to
let warm sunshine into the
room and close them at
night to keep out cold air.
Stay on top of your
home’s regular maintenance,
and you’ll have
fewer costly repairs to
make.
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