How to Tune-Up a Furnace in Fall

Many people are good about doing spring cleaning but often neglect fall preparation. During the beginning of fall, when the weather is cool but not too hot, you should inspect different things in your home to ensure that your heating system will be as efficient and cost effective as possible. One of the things you can do is tune-up your furnace in the fall so that it runs great when you need heat.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Rag
• Vacuum
• Oil

1. Look at the outside casing of your furnace. You may notice black soot or dirt on it, which you should wipe off with a rag. Build up of a large amount of soot on your furnace may indicate that there is a problem with it.
2. Turn up your thermostat so that the furnace comes on and open the viewing window, usually located at the base of the furnace. Ideally, the flames should have a blue color appear constant. If your flames are flickering or a yellow color, you may have some problems with your furnace mechanism.
3. Turn the thermostat back down so the furnace shuts itself off and give it half an hour to an hour to cool down. Turn off the circuit breaker that your furnace is on. You want to do some inside cleaning and be as safe as possible.
4. Set up a vacuum and take off the side panels from your furnace. Run the vacuum along the unit and suck up as much dirt and combustion residue as you can. You can clean any hard to reach areas with a wet rag, but don't let too much water drip into the system.
5. Check to see if there are oil cups on the side of your furnace. Put a few drops of oil in each one. Not all units have open oil cups and you shouldn't worry if you can't find them.
6. Put the sides back on your furnace and switch the circuit board back on. Turn the thermostat up again to make sure the furnace comes back on as normal.

Tips & Warnings

• If you feel uncomfortable performing a tune-up on your furnace, a qualified service person should be able to do it for a very modest cost.
• It's a good idea to change the filter in your furnace regularly. You can do it every time you get an oil delivery or once a month; just do it with some regularity.
• To reduce the risk of electric shock, always turn off the circuit breaker before opening up your furnace for cleaning.

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