Annual Furnace Maintenance Diy

Homeowner gas furnace maintenance gas furnace inspection checklist diy.

Annual furnace maintenance diy.

First take a look at your furnace. These instructions apply to a whole home air conditioning or heat pump unit. Your heating ventilating and air conditioning system hvac will consist of either a furnace and ac or a heat pump which both heats and cools. Whatever type of system you have don t wait until it breaks down to do diy furnace maintenance.

Heat pumps on the other hand work more like a central air conditioner than like a furnace so we won t deal with them here. Next turn up the thermostat so your furnace comes on and check the flames in the burner. The valve to turn off your gas line should be located near the gas meter. If you have scheduled furnace maintenance by your appointed technician you will do well to familiarize yourself with a checklist of the tasks that the heating professional will perform.

A clean well adjusted heating system will save you money on fuel and prolong furnace life. Apply two to three drops of lightweight machine oil and replace the caps. A dirty filter will cause excessive strain on your furnace increase heating costs and reduce the life of your equipment. However oil furnace combustion chambers are very different and should only be worked on by professionals.

Not having a cover poses a safety issue. The exact amount of time is determined by how dirty the furnace is it s age and how many items are on the maintenance checklist. Some older furnaces have two motor bearings and two blower shaft bearings that require annual oiling. There shouldn t be any black soot or combustion residue on or around it.

You should see a steady blue flame. 1 to 2 hours per unit time needed for proper annual maintenance. Take caution if you are performing any kind of gas furnace maintenance turn off the gas line. The maintenance tasks involving the blower chamber also apply to oil furnaces.

Look look at the flames in the burner. Annual furnace maintenance is especially critical ahead of winter because this is when the furnace will be needed the most. Do it yourself furnace maintenance will save a repair bill. Both types will have an interior unit evaporator and blower and an exterior unit condenser coil and compressor.

Tune up or maintenance completion time. Make sure that your furnace filter has a cover over the slot ensuring an efficient return air system. Annual servicing is cheap typically less than 100 especially when compared with the price of a new furnace. Clean around the oil caps and remove the caps.

Here are some general guidelines for maintenance on various types of filters.