How do you prepare your home to face the winter season? Do you check if your heating system works well? Inspecting your home heater is necessary to keep you a step ahead before winter begins. This strategy is essential for every homeowner to avoid system malfunction surprises. Checking your heater before winter is ideal to ensure the system is efficient. This article breaks down four areas you need to inspect on your home heater before the cold season hits.
1. Furnace Filter
Air filters in home heaters play a prime role in separating dust and residue from the air. As a result, the emission of these contaminants provides fresh air to your living space. So, checking your furnace filters is a must before winter weather starts. It is a normal trend for homeowners to forget about the HVAC system during summer. Due to this behavior, home heaters go for a long without use, which may lead to system failure. Before inspecting the air filters, turn off the main switch sending power to the HVAC system. Safety is a key aspect to consider when checking the heater system. If you find dust all over the filters, perform a thorough cleaning or replace them with new ones.
2. Thermostat
The main purpose of a heater is to warm your house in cold weather, right? A thermostat is a tool that senses the change in temperature of the heater system. The first step to take when checking the thermostat is to turn on the heater and observe the temperature. In most cases, if your home begins to feel warmer, it means that there is no problem. But when you switch the heater on and there is no change within a few minutes, contact an HVAC pro. Besides, when the heating system is on, a unique smell comes from the heater. This odor represents burning dust that accumulates over time. A thermostat is important because it allows you to balance the temperature you want in your home.
3. Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
Inspecting your heating system involves checking if the carbon monoxide sensors work well. If you do not have a detector, you should invest in such tools. Like any other machine, the heating system can cause harmful effects on your health. It is the responsibility of a homeowner to provide a safe space for his/her family. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors will beep to alarm you of contaminants in the air. To prevent this problem, replace old batteries with new ones for efficiency. Checking the sensors is a great trick to prepare your heater to function at a high level.
4. Oil Tank
If you are using a gas home heater, check the oil tank before winter begins. Fill up the gas tank so that you can warm your home throughout the cold season. The earlier you buy gas, the better. It is because oil prices tend to shoot higher during winter than in summer.
For you to be on the safer side, inspect the above areas of your heating system before winter.
