5 Steps to Preparing Your Furnace for the Winter

As it gets closer to the winter, it’s a good idea to take a few steps to prepare your furnace for the cold. Instead of hoping your furnace works after you first turn it on, you can ensure your furnace performs at its best when you need it most with a good furnace tune-up. Before the winter cold descends, follow these five steps to get your furnace ready for the winter.

1. Replace Your Furnace Filter

Your furnace filter helps keep contaminants out of your home’s air, but debris can build up on it, clogging the unit and preventing air from entering it easily. A clogged filter will cause your furnace to perform less efficiently, resulting in higher energy bills and less effective heating. As a result, you’ll want to start the winter with the cleanest furnace filter possible. Simply swap out the old filter for a new one meeting your furnace’s requirements to get your furnace ready to handle the cold.

2. Remove Any Debris or Obstructions Over Your Heat Registers

Sometimes, homeowners block their furnace’s heat registers or vents during the spring and summer. As you might expect, if your furnace’s vents are blocked throughout your home, air from the furnace won’t be able to pass through them, and you won’t have any heat. Blocked registers can also cause your furnace to overheat, so it’s important they’re open and clear of any obstructions. Fortunately, removing any furniture or debris over the air vents is usually a quick fix. 

3. Inspect Your Ductwork for Leaks

Any hot air from your furnace will have to pass through your home’s ductwork before it can heat your home. Gaps, holes, and other types of damage to your ductwork can cause hot air to leak out of them. This lost heat will translate to higher energy bills, a furnace that has to work harder to heat your home, and ineffective temperature regulation. Since inspecting your ductwork and repairing leaks can be complicated, you’ll want to hire an HVAC tech to do it for you.

4. Ensure Your Furnace Turns On

After you’ve completed the steps above, it’s a good idea to see if the furnace turns on. Since the furnace likely hasn’t been on since last winter, it may have a maintenance issue you’re unaware of. To check if your furnace is still functioning, switch your thermostat to its heating setting. If you hear your furnace kick on and feel warm air coming out of the vents, your furnace is likely in good shape.

However, if your furnace won’t turn on or the air coming out of your vents doesn’t feel warm enough, you likely have a serious issue. In this case, you’ll need a professional HVAC technician to inspect the furnace and find the source of the problem.

5. Schedule a Professional Furnace Inspection

While you can perform a few checks yourself, it’s always worth it to receive a professional’s input. An HVAC technician will have the experience needed to properly inspect your unit and spot any issues commonly missed by homeowners. Even if their inspection reveals nothing is wrong, they can perform some routine maintenance for you, such as swapping out the filter or cleaning your vents. 

Choose Bonney for Furnance Repairs in Sacramento

If you’re looking for furnace service near you in Sacramento, you can trust Bonney’s HVAC technicians. When your heating unit won’t turn on or you suspect there’s another problem, our team can perform a repair to get your furnace working again. We can also replace your furnace if it’s past the point of repair. Besides handling urgent repairs or installing new units, our team regularly provides furnace tune-ups and maintenance to homeowners and businesses to ensure their furnaces are ready to perform at their best. Learn more about our furnace repair and heating services today. If you have any questions or want to make an appointment, please contact us.