How to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter

If you live in a chilly climate, you don’t want to wait until the temperatures start dropping to make sure your furnace is running as it should. Instead of waiting until the first cold day, it’s best to prepare and take action ahead of time to ensure you and your family will stay warm and cozy all season long.

With the right maintenance and service plan, you can be sure your furnace will kick on when you need it to. Even though you’ll be using your furnace more frequently, if it’s running efficiently, you won’t have to worry about it breaking down or significantly impacting your energy bills.

Check out some of the ways you can prepare your furnace for winter and keep your home toasty warm.

Understanding Your Home’s Furnace System

Furnaces can be gas-powered, electric-powered, or a combination of both. No matter how they’re powered, though, all furnaces are designed to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature and safe air quality. They’re commonly installed in a utility closet or basement and have built-in sensors that detect and notify the system whenever the temperature drops below a certain number. The igniter will then start the burner, and the furnace will begin generating heat to warm your entire house.

Not keeping up with scheduled maintenance means you could start to experience all kinds of issues with your system. Some issues could be minor, such as dirty ductwork and filters. You could also find that your furnace is struggling to produce enough heat to warm your home — or may not even be able to produce any heat at all. These issues can make it challenging for you and your family to get through those cold months.

Benefits of Preparing Your Furnace for Winter

Coming up with a routine maintenance or repair plan before winter rolls around will allow you to take advantage of several benefits. When your furnace is working as it should, you’ll experience:

Increased efficiency: A well-maintained furnace will be able to deliver increased energy efficiency. If your system is free of contaminants like dust or debris, it will be able to run at a more optimal level. Instead of having to power through contaminants, you’ll find that your system will use less energy when it’s working and provide your home with a more consistent source of heat.
Cost savings: The better your furnace is running, the less you’ll spend on your monthly energy bills. While it’s normal to see an increase in your energy bills during the cooler months, it doesn’t need to be drastically higher. Seasonal maintenance will help you catch potential issues early on, preventing more involved and costly repairs in the future. You’ll minimize the chance of your system breaking down in the winter, leaving you and your family without a reliable source of heat.
Safety: Along with increased efficiency and cost savings, seasonal maintenance plays a big part in keeping you and your family safe during the cooler months. While furnaces are designed with safety in mind, they do work by burning fuel to create heat. Because of this, there is potentially the chance for dangerous situations to occur, ranging from carbon monoxide leaks to fire damage. Having your system inspected ensures key components like the gas burner or heat exchanger are all working as they should.

Pre-Winter Furnace Inspection

Performing regular upkeep and professional inspections will ensure your system will be capable of maintaining air quality and furnace efficiency during the winter. There are several steps that you can start off doing yourself to make sure your system is good to go:

Clear away clutter: One of the best — and most simple — furnace tips for winter is to clear away the clutter from around your system. Especially if your furnace is in a utility room, you may have a lot of boxes or household goods stored around it. While utility rooms and basements make great storage spaces, you don’t want to have your belongings too close to the system. Make sure the area around it is free of all dust, debris, and clutter so it can easily and safely operate.
Check the furnace filter: Regularly checking your furnace filter, like at the start and end of the winter season, will help you stay on top of replacements. An old or dirty filter will cause your system to work harder than it needs to. It can negatively impact the air flow and even cause the system to overheat and stop working. Checking and replacing your filter with the right type and size ensures your furnace will be able to properly heat your home.
Change thermostat batteries: Just like your furnace filter, you should check your batteries at the beginning of the season. Keep enough replacement batteries on hand so you can easily replace them if necessary. During this time, you can also check and make any adjustments to the thermostat. You may find that it needs to be reprogrammed depending on when you want it to start running.

Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

Because your furnace is a mechanical system, you want to take special care to ensure it’s kept clean and lubricated. The interior of the furnace especially needs to be kept clear of dust and debris, which can significantly impact the airflow and the system’s ability to heat your space. Any moving parts should be lubricated to prevent friction and heat buildup, which could damage the system. Another key area to pay attention to is the furnace blower belt. Look for any signs of wear and tear and replace it if necessary.

It’s a good idea to have your system cleaned and maintained yearly by a team of professionals. They’ll be able to inspect the entire furnace and its components, look for cracks and leaks, evaluate safety controls, and test your system to make sure it’s good to go.

Get Your Furnace Ready for Winter

Whether you’re interested in scheduling routine maintenance or need to have your furnace system serviced, Meeks Heating & Air has you covered. Since we were founded, we’ve been providing comfort solutions with honesty, excellence, personal care, and gratitude. We serve homeowners throughout Metro Atlanta — serving your home like it’s our own.

We service all makes and models of furnace systems, going above and beyond to ensure yours will perform as it should all winter long. Our annual maintenance services include a comprehensive checklist for consistency and efficiency. As part of our repair services, you can expect accurate and affordable work each and every time. Our team is both prompt and professional and dedicated to upholding industry protocols so your furnace is operating at peak performance.

If you’re ready to take advantage of superior comfort this winter season, we invite you to give us a call at 470-622-8901 or reach out online today to schedule routine maintenance or repair services.