In Ottawa, the transition from fall to winter can happen quickly. As soon as responsible homeowners see the first few falling leaves, they begin to prepare their homes for the winter ahead. A big part of keeping your home warm and safe during the winter is ensuring that your furnace is working properly ahead of time. For the best results, refer to our Pre-Winter Furnace Checklist.
?Change Your Furnace Filter
Your furnace filter is an integral part of your furnace’s effectiveness and efficiency. All of the air in your home is cycled through the furnace’s filter. If your furnace filter is dirty or clogged with debris, it puts unnecessary wear and tear on the system, and your air quality will suffer. We recommend that you change your furnace filter once every 60 days to ensure optimal performance.
?Adjust Your Thermostat
One item on our pre-winter furnace checklist that many homeowners forget to do is adjust their thermostats. Sometimes, homeowners will think that their furnace is broken or only blowing cold air when, really, they’ve just forgotten to switch their thermostat from COOL to HEAT. So, be sure to flip that switch on your thermostat! If you are experiencing issues with your thermostat, check out our article about common thermostat issues and how to solve them.
?Check Your Furnace’s Outdoor Intake Pipe
Your furnace has a pipe that runs outside of your house – usually a foot or two off the ground. Your furnace’s intake pipe can become clogged with leaves, dirt, twigs, and other natural debris. As part of the pre-winter checklist, make sure to inspect your furnace’s intake pipe to ensure that it’s not been accidentally covered.
?Pay Attention to New Sounds and Smells
When you turn on your furnace for the first time, there will often be a dusty, burning smell. This is not cause for alarm! It’s just due to the dust that accumulated during the summer being burned off as the furnace gets hotter. However, if you continue to notice funky smells after the first day or so, or you hear banging or hissing from your furnace, make sure to call for repair immediately.
?Schedule Preventative Maintenance
The best way to prepare your furnace for the winter ahead – and the most important step on our winter furnace checklist – is to schedule preventative furnace maintenance with the experts at Team Harding. During a furnace maintenance appointment, our technicians will clean and inspect your furnace while also diagnosing and resolving any potential problems. This will ensure that your furnace is working properly this winter and that you can have peace of mind knowing that your furnace is ready for winter.
Have you scheduled preventative maintenance for your furnace this year?
Contact Team Harding to book your appointment today!
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Harding Heating & Air Conditioning has been Ottawa’s leading home comfort specialist since 1994. We are a family-owned and operated local business and all of our installers and technicians are fully licensed.
