How to Inspect Your Heating Before Winter

In the winter, it will be extremely inconvenient for you and your family should your heating system suddenly decides to stop working. If you want to reduce the risk of you freezing inside while waiting for your heating technician to finish repairs, you need to inspect it well before the cold season begins, or at least, before temperatures fall below freezing. Here are some tips:

Check Air Filters

For many heating professionals, any problem with forced-air heaters most likely involves the air filters in some way. Check your heater’s filter and replace it if it is already worn out (this step is necessary since you likely haven’t used your heater much since spring began). A dirty or worn filter will cause the heater to work inefficiently.

Ducts and Pipes

The next component to check are the actual piping and ductwork that deliver warm air to various rooms inside your house. Holes or cracks in the ducts will not only severely hamper the efficiency of your heater, but they will also cause your energy bills to spike up.

Test the Furnace and Thermostat

The thermostat can also affect your heater’s energy-efficiency. Call up a professional heating inspector to help you make sure that your thermostat reading is accurate, then check to see that the furnace indeed starts and works properly. In case of gas heaters, you should also check the tanks to ensure that there are no leaks or signs of deterioration.