DIY Heater Maintenance

Take Care Of Your Home’s Furnace

With the colder months fast approaching, the efficiency of your heating system is crucial for keeping you and your home comfortable and healthy. Proper heater maintenance prevents the nightmare of a failing furnace, saving you money and stress during winter.

A seasonal furnace tune-up can alleviate these risks, and a Katy heater maintenance expert can always provide one. But what about maintenance you can do on your own?

Air Tech of Katy has the experience and knowledge required to give you the best tips for maintaining your home heating system! Though certain problems will benefit from professional help, there are plenty of DIY methods to optimize your furnace’s health.

Learn more about the steps you can take to maintain your heating system!

What To Know About Maintenance Before Getting Started

Before thinking about DIY maintenance, there are a few things that would be useful to remember. To start, regular heater maintenance is greatly beneficial for your home. Certain parts should be checked every couple of months. Think of it like a doctor’s visit – checking in every so often can help to identify potential problems, but if you put it off, you could end up with needless costs or even a potential health risk.

When getting started on your DIY maintenance, always remember to set the furnace power switch to “Off” before giving the combustion chamber a check-up. Doing so protects you from ignition and electrical hazards, and the furnace from strain and accidental damage.

Another tip to remember is that you should always be careful while working so you don’t cause injury or expose yourself to carbon monoxide. If you are uncertain or wary of something in your heating system, seek out a professional for help. Our team is ready to assess the situation and provide the service you need!

How To Perform Seasonal Maintenance On Your Furnace

When it comes to taking care of your furnace, taking on DIY tasks allows you to keep your system running efficiently.

These steps can be completed without a professional, but we understand that it can be intimidating when first starting out. That’s why our team is here to explain some of the things you can do to help your heating system.

Change Your Furnace Filter

Changing your furnace filter is easy, but still important. Doing so once every three months is recommended, but certain systems may need more frequent filter changes.

Keep in mind that every household is different, so you need to assess your own filter changing frequency. If you need help determining how often your filter needs changed, check manufacturer recommendations, or ask a professional on our team for help!

Test And Vacuum Your Burners

As your furnace’s primary heat source, the health of your burners is critical. To test them, remove the combustion chamber door, turn the power back on and turn up your thermostat.

The flames should be blue-colored and even. If the flames are yellow, your burners are likely dirty. Be cautious, as a yellow flame may indicate carbon monoxide release. Note that blowing on the flames can also make them appear yellow.

Do not attempt to adjust the burners yourself. If there’s an issue, call Air Tech of Katy for assistance.

If your burners just need a routine cleaning, turn off the power again and prepare to vacuum both the burners and the furnace base. To help with this, try taping a 20-inch length of a half-inch drain line to the vacuum hose and clear out any dust and soot.

Clean The Blower

You’ll need to unscrew the blower prior to removing it. Use a vacuum and a small brush to clean the blower blades.

Be very careful to not stress the wiring or counterweights in the blower. Unless you can thoroughly and carefully clean the blower, it’s best to not do so at all to avoid throwing the blower off balance. Unbalanced blades can produce louder noise, less efficiency and even premature unit failure.

Clean The Pilot And Hot Surface Igniter

To remove dust from the pilot, try using a drinking straw to blow direct air at the necessary spot. More modern furnaces may have a hot surface igniter.

Once again, you can blow air to clean it, but do not remove or even touch the hot surface igniter. It is very fragile and you should work with extreme care whenever the igniter is near.

How Does DIY Heater Maintenance Help?

When it comes to Katy heater maintenance, there’s so much you can do to make sure your furnace is in working order. In addition to the tips above, you can also perform the following steps:

• Clean the flame sensor
• Inspect the belt
• Lubricate bearings
• Check exhaust vent pipes for corrosion
• Check dampers and air ducts

Taking these steps is important as it will allow your system to run more efficiently. By removing dirt and ensuring parts are working well, you’ll reduce how much energy it takes your system to run.

Additionally, performing regular maintenance enables you to detect potential issues early, ultimately reducing repair expenses by addressing problems before they get worse.

Call Air Tech Of Katy For Katy Heater Maintenance

Even after practicing DIY maintenance, the assistance of a professional can be useful for keeping your furnace and your home healthy. That’s why our team is proud to offer seasonal furnace tune-up services!

If you are interested in a furnace tune-up, Air Tech of Katy can provide the necessary maintenance for your system. Don’t hesitate to reach out and see what we can do for you!