Furnace Maintenance Tips
A furnace that runs well is vital. For the most part, furnaces are built to not require too much attention. However, homeowners should take care and do basic maintenance to ensure their furnace runs well during the cooler months. To avoid having to call for furnace maintenance in Summit, a homeowner should know a few things.
The following are some tips on how a homeowner should go about maintaining his furnace. Please note, major repairs should be left to professionals. One should not attempt to do repairs when he knows nothing about furnaces. Otherwise, he may find himself having to replace the entire furnace.
The first thing a homeowner should be sure of is that all the components of his furnace are free from dirt. Dirt can cause a malfunction, it can cause the furnace to waste fuel and it can cause the furnace to overheat. The filter system, the blower and the motor are the major parts or the furnace that should be free from dirt.
The simplest part of maintaining a furnace is changing the filter. There are disposable filters that can be purchased at any hardware store. They come in different sizes. The size should be listed on the filters and on the box they come in. They should be changed every month during the season when the furnace is in continual use. They have a cardboard frame with a fiber mesh.
A homeowner must also take care to clean the blower assembly, belts and pulleys to the blower and motor housing. This is very important for any furnace but becomes critical for furnaces with a squirrel-cage fan. The openings in this type of blower can easily become clogged with dirt. Homeowners should clean the blower by removing the panel that covers the filter. Once they have they should be able to gain access to the blower or panel on the front of their furnace. This panel may be on hooks as a slip-fit or held in place by retaining screws. You can usually gain access to the inside of your furnace blower by sliding out the fan unit which is held on a track by screws.
Problems that affect gas furnaces are usually related to the furnaces thermocouple, the pilot light or some component of the electrical system. On some gas furnaces and heaters, a plug-type door covers the pilot light assembly. “To gain access to the pilot burner, pull the door out of the furnace housing. On other units, remove the panel that covers the pilot and gas burners.
The pilot light controls, reset buttons, gas valves and thermocouple are usually contained in an assembly at the front of the furnace. The furnace limit switch is located on the plenum (main chamber) or main duct junction on the upper housing of the furnace.”
If the pilot light goes out, a homeowner should take care to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to relight the pilot light. If there are no instructions, the following are some basic instructions:
Step 1: Find pilot light assembly. It typically has a gas valve with ON, OFF and PILOT settings.
Step 2: Turn the valve to the OFF position and wait three minutes.
Step 3: Switch valve to PILOT setting. Hold a lighted match to the pilot opening while you push the reset button on the pilot control panel. Keep this button depressed until the pilot flame burns brightly, then set the valve to the ON position.
If the thermocouple is faulty, here are some steps homeowners can take to try to remedy the problem:
Step 1: Unscrew the copper lead and connection nut inside the threaded connection to the gas line. Under the mounting bracket at the thermocouple tube, unscrew the bracket nut that holds the tube in place.
Step 2: Insert a new thermocouple into the hole in the bracket. Be sure the steel tube is up and the copper lead is down. Under the bracket, screw the bracket nut over the tube. Push the connection nut to the threaded connection where the copper lead connects to the gas line. Make sure the connection is clean and dry.
Step 3: Tightly screw the nut into place, but do not over-tighten. Both the bracket nut and connection nut should be only a little tighter than if hand-tightened
The above were some tips for maintaining a furnace. A homeowner should remember that dirt is the number one enemy to a furnace. He should take care to keep the blower, the fan and the motor clean of dirt. The gas furnace has a pilot light, a thermocouple and an igniter. All should be maintained.
The following are some tips on how a homeowner should go about maintaining his furnace. Please note, major repairs should be left to professionals. One should not attempt to do repairs when he knows nothing about furnaces. Otherwise, he may find himself having to replace the entire furnace.
The first thing a homeowner should be sure of is that all the components of his furnace are free from dirt. Dirt can cause a malfunction, it can cause the furnace to waste fuel and it can cause the furnace to overheat. The filter system, the blower and the motor are the major parts or the furnace that should be free from dirt.
The simplest part of maintaining a furnace is changing the filter. There are disposable filters that can be purchased at any hardware store. They come in different sizes. The size should be listed on the filters and on the box they come in. They should be changed every month during the season when the furnace is in continual use. They have a cardboard frame with a fiber mesh.
A homeowner must also take care to clean the blower assembly, belts and pulleys to the blower and motor housing. This is very important for any furnace but becomes critical for furnaces with a squirrel-cage fan. The openings in this type of blower can easily become clogged with dirt. Homeowners should clean the blower by removing the panel that covers the filter. Once they have they should be able to gain access to the blower or panel on the front of their furnace. This panel may be on hooks as a slip-fit or held in place by retaining screws. You can usually gain access to the inside of your furnace blower by sliding out the fan unit which is held on a track by screws.
Problems that affect gas furnaces are usually related to the furnaces thermocouple, the pilot light or some component of the electrical system. On some gas furnaces and heaters, a plug-type door covers the pilot light assembly. “To gain access to the pilot burner, pull the door out of the furnace housing. On other units, remove the panel that covers the pilot and gas burners.
The pilot light controls, reset buttons, gas valves and thermocouple are usually contained in an assembly at the front of the furnace. The furnace limit switch is located on the plenum (main chamber) or main duct junction on the upper housing of the furnace.”
If the pilot light goes out, a homeowner should take care to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to relight the pilot light. If there are no instructions, the following are some basic instructions:
Step 1: Find pilot light assembly. It typically has a gas valve with ON, OFF and PILOT settings.
Step 2: Turn the valve to the OFF position and wait three minutes.
Step 3: Switch valve to PILOT setting. Hold a lighted match to the pilot opening while you push the reset button on the pilot control panel. Keep this button depressed until the pilot flame burns brightly, then set the valve to the ON position.
If the thermocouple is faulty, here are some steps homeowners can take to try to remedy the problem:
Step 1: Unscrew the copper lead and connection nut inside the threaded connection to the gas line. Under the mounting bracket at the thermocouple tube, unscrew the bracket nut that holds the tube in place.
Step 2: Insert a new thermocouple into the hole in the bracket. Be sure the steel tube is up and the copper lead is down. Under the bracket, screw the bracket nut over the tube. Push the connection nut to the threaded connection where the copper lead connects to the gas line. Make sure the connection is clean and dry.
Step 3: Tightly screw the nut into place, but do not over-tighten. Both the bracket nut and connection nut should be only a little tighter than if hand-tightened
The above were some tips for maintaining a furnace. A homeowner should remember that dirt is the number one enemy to a furnace. He should take care to keep the blower, the fan and the motor clean of dirt. The gas furnace has a pilot light, a thermocouple and an igniter. All should be maintained.