Furnaces & Heating Articles

Article / Updated 10-05-2021

Before winter arrives, the most important thing you need to do for yourself and your family is to ensure that your furnace is operational, safe, and as energy-efficient as you can make it. When that first cold day hits, you don't want to turn on the furnace only to discover that it isn't working. (A lot can happen during the warmer months to affect your furnace.) It's important to have your gas furnace checked for a possible leak of carbon monoxide, which is an odorless, colorless gas. Having carbon monoxide and radon detectors are important for everyone's safety. You can purchase these detectors at most hardware and big box, do-it-yourself stores. Call a furnace professional for a checkup No doubt about it, your best bet is to call heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) professional and have them come out and inspect your furnace. During a regular maintenance inspection, the technician will clean the furnace, change the filter, check for leaks and unhealthy gases, and ensure that everything is operational. You also can (and should if you can afford it) pay them to clean the furnace ducts. © Perry Gerenday / iStockphoto.com Do-it-yourself furnace tasks Here are a few other things that you can do yourself: Change the furnace filters regularly. Some suggest every three months; others suggest monthly. At least take a look at the filter after 30 days of operation. You'll be able to tell if it needs to be changed. If your filter still looks pretty good, you can put off changing it. Stock up on filters during the warmer months. You often can find a bargain on furnace filters and other winter items during those hot summer months. Remove any items you have stored near the furnace, particularly anything that is likely to catch fire. Also remove any household items that are suddenly sitting on top of or in front of your air ducts and return vents. If you have a gas furnace, contact your gas company and have them fill'er up. Gas is certainly much cheaper to buy during the summer than in the middle of a January cold spell. If you have hot-water radiator(s), bleed the valves. Open the valves slightly and close them again when water starts to appear.

Video / Updated 06-26-2018

A clean furnace filter traps dirt and allergens and makes your furnace run more efficiently — and last longer. This video shows you how to remove the furnace door panel, find the filter, and replace it with a new one. Replace furnace filters every month for best results.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

Changing the furnace filter protects your furnace and filters the air, improving the air quality in your home. Disposable furnace filters have either a mesh pattern or a pleated accordion pattern. Replace these filters once a month to keep your furnace running optimally. If your system handles both heating and cooling, replace the filter monthly all year long. The filter catches the dust, dirt, pollen, carpet fibers, and pet dander in the air, which keeps the house cleaner and helps keep allergies at bay. It also keeps all that stuff from getting into the furnace, which helps the blower motor lasts longer and keeps compressor coils from clogging.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Regularly inspect blower-fan belts for any sign of damage and replace the belt if it’s damaged. Knowing how to inspect the blower-fan belt improves furnace efficiency. Furnaces need monthly maintenance and many do-it-yourselfers overlook the blower-fan belt. A worn, wimpy belt isn’t dangerous, but it makes a squealing noise that may drive you crazy and, more important, cost you money. If the belt isn’t tight enough, it slips, and the fan won’t turn as it should. You get less hot air for your money. Inspect the belt for wear and tear. Look for signs of cracking or weakness. If the belt is frayed or looks worn, replace it right away. In fact, as long as you're buying a new blower-fan belt, buy two. Keep the extra one in a plastic bag on a nail by the furnace for those middle-of-the-night, all-the-stores-are-closed, the-house-is-freezing, blown-fan-belt emergency. Check the tension. Even if the belt looks good, if it has more than 1/2 inch of give either way (1 inch total), tighten it by taking up the extra slack by using the motor adjusting bolt. Don’t tighten too much — a too-tight belt damages the motor and fan bearings and makes a big, expensive mess of things. Adjust the pulley alignment. While you’re in there fooling with the belt, check the pulley alignment too. The pulleys should line up perfectly. If you see any twisting in the belt, loosen the motor pulley mounting bolts and make an adjustment.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

It pays to have a professional, licensed heating contractor check your steam system every year. But you can perform three important maintenance tasks on your steam heating system yourself. Caring properly for your system will you save money in the long run through greater efficiency, but you'll also have peace of mind knowing that your system is operating safely. Here are the tasks you can perform: Check the steam gauge regularly: Make sure that it's within the normal range. If it isn't, shut the system down immediately and call for service. Check the safety valve every month: Located on the top of the boiler, this important valve vents excess pressure if the boiler goes crazy and exceeds safe levels. When the system is hot, push down on the handle to see if steam comes out. Stand away from the outlet — the steam is boiling hot. If no steam comes out, call a serviceperson to replace the valve immediately. Check the water level once a month: The water-level gauge has valves on each side. Open them both and make sure that the water level is in the middle, and then close the valves. If you didn't see any water, shut off the boiler, let it cool down, and then add water. Because steam systems occasionally need water added, it's better and more convenient to have an automatic water valve added to the system. The valve monitors water levels and adds water ever so slowly to avoid damaging the boiler. You also can do a few things to keep your radiators working well: Make sure that every radiator slopes slightly toward the steam inlet pipe (which comes out of the wall or floor). If one doesn't, slip a 1⁄4-inch-thick rectangle of wood under the feet at the vent end. Doing so prevents those irritating knocking and clanging noises. Check the vents to make sure that they aren't blocked. Corrosion and paint can keep the vent from venting and then air trapped in the radiator prevents steam from entering the radiator. If your vent is blocked, replace it. Your local hardware store probably carries them (yours is not the only house in the area with steam heat), and they simply screw off and on. Check the position of the inlet valves. They should be either all the way closed or all the way open. A partially open or shut valve does nothing to regulate heat and causes knocking and clanging. Got an inlet valve that's leaking? Chances are it's actually leaking at the capnuts (the big nuts at the vertical and horizontal connections). Luckily, a leak there can be cured with a little retightening. Get two wrenches — use one to hold the valve and the other to tighten the capnut. If the leak seems to be coming from under the valve handle, take off the valve head and tighten the topmost nut, which is called the gland nut. If neither of those solutions fixes the leak, the valve adapter — the double-ended/double-threaded clunk of brass that connects the valve to the radiator — is probably the culprit. Once again, you need two wrenches to remove the valve, remove the adapter, and install a replacement. After you refill the system, check for leaks and tighten everything again.