Essential Maintenance Tips For Your Home's Central Forced-Air Heating System

3 January 2023
Categories: , Blog

If the heated air from your furnace is distributed throughout your home's interiors via air ducts and vents connected to each room, it means you have a forced-air central heating system. Like other heating systems used in American homes, your central forced-air heater requires ongoing maintenance to work reliably and efficiently throughout the heating season.

While the exact maintenance procedures and regimens to be followed will depend on the specific model of the heater that you have, here are some essential things to do to keep your residential central forced-air heating in optimal working condition.

Change The Filter

If you want to maximize the performance of your home's forced-air heating system while maintaining good indoor air quality, regular filter changes are a must.

A dirty filter inhibits the smooth flow of air through your heating system and allows airborne contaminants back into your home. Consequently, you may experience many problems with your central heater. Some common central heating issues associated with dirty filters include the following:

Uneven temperatures in your home
Your heating system blowing cold rather than hot air
Spiking heating bills
Poor indoor air quality
Increased cases of heating-related allergies and sickness in your household

Replacing filthy filters is easy. Just refer to your heating equipment user's manual for instructions on filter change frequency and procedure.

Check The Thermostat

Always make sure the thermostat connected to your forced-air heating system is switched to heating mode when cold weather arrives. But that's not all.

You also need to check it regularly throughout the heating season to confirm that it is working properly. If it has no power, does not respond to your adjustments, or forgets programmed settings, it may require repairs or a replacement.

Something as simple as a loose wiring connection can cause it to lack power and thus fail to turn on. But if the problem does not go away with a simple fix, you may require a new thermostat.

Clean The Air Ducts And Vents

While your entire forced-air heating system requires a general cleaning to keep running smoothly and efficiently, the air ducts and vents responsible for delivering heated air throughout your home deserve special attention.

Make sure you clean them regularly and thoroughly to maximize the quantity and quality of conditioned air flowing in the whole house. Also, make sure your furniture arrangement allows an unobstructed flow of air coming out of your air vents.

Need expert assistance with your residential heating system maintenance? Don't hesitate to contact an HVAC specialist near you.

About Me

I almost always have my air conditioner inspected every spring before I start using it in the summer. However, last year I decided to skip the inspection. Everything had been OK for the last couple of years, so I assumed that it would be fine this year as well. Why not save a few dollars and skip the annual check up, just this once? Of course, this was the year that my air conditioner decided to break down. It ran for a few days, but it never really seemed to get cool enough to bring the indoor temperature down. Then it started making a loud noise, right before shutting off completely. By that time, the AC repair company was swamped like it always is when the weather is warm, and I had to wait days for an appointment. Next year, I will definitely be getting that yearly inspection first.