Imagine being alone in the house on a cold winter night. The wind is so cold it goes right through your coat like a knife through butter. Your teeth won’t stop chattering; your palms are icy cold and stiff. So you switch on the heating system to get some relief and boom! The shocker comes. Your Heating System isn’t working.
You can avoid this heartbreaking scenario by testing your heating system before this winter to ensure that it is in safe, effective working order. You don’t want your heating system to malfunction or stop working in the middle of the winter when you need it most. Here are some ways to test and prepare your heating system so it is working properly for winter.
Clean or replace your filter
The filter exerts a lot of impact on your energy cost, total energy efficiency, and quality of your home’s air. So, you must clean or replace your furnace filters regularly to maintain the efficiency of your heating system. Otherwise, efficiency will drop, and the heating system will perform poorly, causing your electricity bills to skyrocket. To prevent this, clean or replace your filter before you use your filter system. Also, ensure that you clean or replace your filter monthly.
Inspect the blower belt and oil the blower motor
Because of continuous exposure to the outside air, the blower belt can become dry and fray. When this occurs, your system won’t be able to heat your home rapidly.
What’s the remedy?
Call a professional to repair or replace the blower belt if it’s damaged. Also, oil the blower motor because lack of indication can lead to friction which causes damage over time.
Protect your home against carbon monoxide
Your furnace produces carbon monoxide. Even though it may not be hazardous at lower levels, it is immensely toxic at higher levels. Carbon monoxide is dangerous when inhaled because it replaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. A higher concentration of CO can overcome you within minutes without warning and lead to loss of consciousness and suffocation.
Hence, you must ensure that the blower doors are sealed. This will guarantee that the combination gases produced by your heating system are leaving your home safely. To check for the level of carbon monoxide in your home, test your carbon monoxide detectors.
Make sure your heating system runs well
Now, you’ve got to check if the heating system works well.
Switch on the emergency switch and turn up the thermometer ten degrees more than the room temperature. The heating system will start working within a few minutes. However, if it’s not starting up, click on the reset button located on the burner’s relay. If this doesn’t work, check the fuse and circuit breaker to ensure the thermostat is set correctly. If all these steps fail, it’s time to visit a professional HVAC maintenance.
Here are the steps to test your heating system. Remember, if it still fails to work, contact us ASAP at Texas Pride Heating & Airto fix your heating system and help you enjoy winter!
