Furnace safety tips are a timely topic every winter as home thermostats are switched to the “Heat” function.
About 60 percent of U.S. households now utilize energy-efficient natural gas heating. Today’s furnaces are designed with many built-in safety features. Installation by a qualified professional HVAC contractor further ensures that your heating system meets strict standards for safety, efficiency and heating performance.
As a responsible homeowner, however, you must also observe specific guidelines for proper furnace operation. Here are some furnace safety tips to keep you comfortably warm as well as safe all winter long.
Furnace Safety Tips to Observe
- At seasonal start-up, clear the furnace closet or area of any flammable items such as boxes, fabrics or combustible liquids that may have been stored in the vicinity of the furnace during the cooling season. Keep it clear all winter long.
- Check the furnace filter for build-up of dust or dirt monthly. Replace the furnace filter at least every other month.
- Inspect the furnace vent pipe to make sure it is fully intact and there are no internal obstructions such as bird’s nests.
- Make sure the removable front panel of the furnace is properly installed before operating the furnace. While most newer units have a safety switch to prevent operation without the panel installed, many older units do not.
- If you don’t have carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home, purchase them and install according to instructions. If the units are battery-operated, change the batteries twice a year.
- Make sure heating vents in each room are fully open. Never operate a furnace with more than 20% of the heating vents in the house closed. This can overheat the furnace and cause potential damage or fire hazard.
- Schedule annual furnace preventive maintenance from a qualified HVAC contractor. The service includes testing furnace safety functions as well verifying integrity of critical components such as the heat exchanger and testing heat output for carbon monoxide or other combustion gases.
Ask the professionals at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company for more furnace safety tips as well as professional maintenance services to keep your heating system safe and fully functional.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
