Getting your Furnace Ready for Winter

During this time of year almost everyone is getting ready for winter.

After spending 42 years in and around the Heating, Cooling and Ventilating business I wanted to pass on some tips for homeowners.

Replace your heater's air filter monthly or at least as needed. Your heating system will work less hard, use less energy and last longer as a result. Most homeowners can replace filters and do such simple tasks as cleaning and removing dust from vents or along baseboard heaters.

Examine your house's heating venting and ducts for leaks. Think of your duct work as huge hoses, bringing hot air instead of water into your house. Mostly out of sight, ducts can leak for years without you knowing it. They can become torn or crushed and flattened. Old duct tape - the worse thing to use to seal duct work, by the way - will dry up and fall away over time, allowing junctions and splices to open, spilling heated air into your attic or under the house. It's wasteful. According to field research performed by the California Energy Commission, you can save roughly 10 percent of your heating bill by preventing leaky ducts.

Furnace vents and chimney flues should be inspected -- preferably by a professional -- to insure proper venting of the gases created during combustion of natural gas or oil.

NOTE: ''Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is created by many combustion appliances, particularly furnaces,'' said Andrew L. Port, a certified industrial hygienist with Environmental Waste Management Associates, an environmental consulting firm in Parsippany, N.J. ''Basically, carbon monoxide is an asphyxiant that takes the place of the oxygen in your blood. "First, it puts you to sleep; then it kills you.''

Use your set-back thermostat. California houses built today must have them. If you have an older home, consider installing one. A set-back thermostat allows you to automatically turn down the heat when you're away at work or when you're sleeping at night, and then boost the temperature to a comfortable level when you need it. Remember - it takes less energy to warm a cool home than to maintain a warm temperature all day long. Properly using your set-back thermostat could cut your heating costs from 20 to 75 percent.

Make sure all hearing vents are opened and unblocked by furniture or other items. This will ensure that the air is evenly distributed through the home.

Note: If you are vacuuming out your furnace or heating appliance DO NOT VACUUM OUT THE BLACK SOOT WITH YOUR VACUUM. The black soot can still burn and under the correct conditions can explode inside your vacuum cleaner. That could injury you and at the least make a big mess when all that dirty explodes inside your home. Use a small brush and a playing card for a dust pan to remove the black soot.

To keep things working correctly keep the area around your heating equipment clean. Remember it takes almost ten (10) times more air than gas to make a flame. If the combustible air coming into the equipment is clean the equipment will work better and longer.

If your heating system is old, you might consider updating it. A pre-1977 gas furnace is probably 50 percent to 60 percent efficient today. That means only half of the fuel used by the furnace actually reaches your home as heat. Modern gas furnaces, on the other hand, achieve efficiency ratings as high as 97 percent. By replacing an old heating system with one of the most efficient models, you can cut your natural gas use nearly in half!

Insulate your attic. In an older home, that can be the most cost-efficient way to cut home heating costs. Before energy efficiency standards, homes were often built with little or no insulation. As a result, large amounts of heat can be lost through walls, floors and - since heat rises - especially ceilings.

If I can help answer questions about your heating system just email me at DIALONEToday@hotmail.com or visit our website http://www.dialonetoday.com/ for telephone numbers.

Get a routine maintenance and inspection of your heating system each autumn to make sure it is in good working order. In many cases the gas suppler will do this for free.

Remember to always use a trained professional to work on your most valuable single possession, your home.

If you live in an area that has steam, oil or other types of heat you may find this story in the New York Times helpful. CLICK HERE

Here is another link on getting your furnace ready for winter by FOX 5 NEWS. CLICK HERE

PLEASE STAY WARM AND SAFE!