How to Clean Gas Heaters

Gas heaters need to be inspected by a certified professional.

Gas heaters can be very dangerous when they are not maintained properly. Some of the risks of owning a gas heater include a house fire, house pollution, and carbon monoxide poisoning. To avoid these serious problems, you need to keep your gas heater clean and well maintained. While the majority of cleaning and service work must be done by a certified professional, there are a few cleaning tasks that you can do yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Owner's manual
• Cloth
• Vacuum cleaner
• Hose attachment

Instructions

1. Turn off your gas heater before you begin the cleaning process.

2. Check the manual for your gas heater to help you locate the accessible filters, or contact the manufacturer to find out if your gas heater has accessible, versus inaccessible, filters. Attempting to clean inaccessible filters on a gas heater can be highly dangerous.

3. Clean off the accessible filters with a cloth. These filters can have a buildup of dust and debris. Cleaning them yourself will help improve your gas heater's performance.

4. Clean out the duct registers of your gas heating system using the hose attachment of your vacuum cleaner.

5. Wipe down the fan of the gas furnace if your model has one. Use a damp cloth and vacuum up any debris.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have the owner's manual for your gas heater, contact the manufacturer to request one.

References

• Better Health Channel: Gas Heating = Health and Safety Issues