Written by Daniel Walker, Walker Company Heating & Air (303) 386-4082
Temperatures are falling and winter is upon us again. Heating equipment is coming back into service after months of sitting dormant. We always receive a lot of calls this time of year for equipment just not working properly. Customers are always asking me, “should I be having my heating equipment serviced annually”? The answer is always yes but not one ever asks why. This month I am writing this article to address the “why”. I am getting the idea that people may not have a firm understanding of how important annual maintenance is. To put it into simple terms, if you never have your vehicle serviced, do you believe the life, performance and safety has been compromised? The same understanding should be considered when thinking of your home’s heating equipment.
You can perform some of this maintenance yourself such as:
- Ensure that all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries and the alarm functions. Smoke detectors typically need replacement every 10 years, carbon monoxide detectors every 5 years. Check with the device manufacturer for more information about the useful life of each detector. When in doubt change it out. These devices are not expensive and the purpose they serve is too important to leave to chance.
- Change those air filters, they are more important than you may realize. Besides keeping the air clean, air filters serve a vital role in the life and performance of your heating system. Heating systems are carefully designed to balance air flow and ductwork resistance. When your air filter becomes overly restricted this delicate balance can have costly or potentially deadly effects. Fan motors will need to work harder, burning more electricity and quickly shortening their life. Lower air flow will result in your home not being heated as effectively, burning more fuel to perform the same work. Your furnace will operate at higher than recommended temperatures causing damage to your heat exchanger. Long term effects of overheating can result in heat exchanger failure. Failure, at the very least, will cost you a replacement furnace. At the worst, it can result in carbon monoxide poisoning or death.
- Keep the area around your furnace or boiler clear. Every furnace or boiler product has a minimum clearance from the front of the equipment of 3 feet (36”). Some furnaces are specially designed to be installed in a closet with minimum clearance achieved by opening the closet door. If your furnace is installed in a closet, no other object other than the furnace and its’ accessories are permitted to be installed or stored within the closet. If your furnace is installed in a basement, it is a good idea to keep an area 3 feet (36”) clear all the way around the equipment. This clearance around the front of the equipment allows room for the equipment to be serviced, a safe pathway to and from the equipment in the event of an emergency, clearance from combustible objects, and free air for the combustion process.
- Replace the batteries in your thermostat. Most residential, and even some commercial digital, thermostats require batteries. The thermostat will indicate on the screen that the batteries need changing. However; many times this indicator is missed and function of the thermostat will stop. If you happen to be away at the time this can result in broken pipes and property damage. Change them out at the start of every heating season to avoid costly problems.
To put it into simple terms, if you never have your vehicle serviced, do you believe the life, performance and safety has been compromised? The same understanding should be considered when thinking of your home’s heating equipment.
The remaining annual maintenance should be left to a professional. Knowledge of other maintenance tasks is nowhere near as important as years of experience when performing this work. Gas appliances are safe but only when inspected, serviced and repaired by a professional. Although you cannot perform this maintenance yourself, here are the minimum tasks a heating professional will be performing during his maintenance visit. If all of the items listed below are not being performed by your heating professional you are not getting what you paid for and, more importantly, your equipment, health or life may be at risk.
- Check the air filter; if it is dirty replace it or advise you to replace it as soon as possible.
- Clean the fan section and electrical section.
- Remove the burners; inspect them for damage and clean them.
- Clean flame sensors, thermocouples, thermopiles (not all devices are applicable in all applications).
- Confirm operation of the safety devices.
- Clean and inspect the heat exchanger; it should be visually inspected for heat fatigue, cracks, holes, or obstructions.
- · Verify that gas pressure entering and leaving the gas valve are within the equipment’s listed specifications.
- · Verify the that the temperature differential between entering and leaving air from the furnace during heating operation are within the equipment’s listed specifications.
- · Check that all of the motors or pumps are operating within equipment listed specification.
- · Check that all of the electrical connections are tight and intact.
- · Check for gas leaks.
- · Check with a portable carbon monoxide detector for carbon monoxide within your home; if any is detected, find the source and shut it down until it can be repaired or replaced.
The type of heating system in your home will determine what other things should be inspected or cleaned during a maintenance visit. I am only pointing out the most basic items. I want to further emphasize that there is no substitution for years of experience. A internet video or book cannot provide enough information to safely service gas heating equipment.