Why Furnace Maintenance Is So Important

When it comes to furnace maintenance, the one thing you can do yourself that's extremely important is to change the filter on schedule. There are other important tasks that you'll need a furnace maintenance technician for, but you can change the filter yourself. Here are reasons it is important to keep your furnace filter clean and some related maintenance tasks you may need a professional to help with.

Your Furnace Operates Efficiently When It's Clean

When your furnace is clean, air flows through it freely. Parts also work optimally since there is no dust or grime gumming them up. A furnace that works optimally is also efficient. While that may not seem important, you may think differently when you see your power bill. An energy-efficient furnace is less expensive to operate.

Changing the filter so it is always clean is an important part of keeping your furnace clean, but so is keeping the parts clean. For instance, if the blower wheel gets coated with dust and grime, the blower motor may strain and burn out. While you probably won't clean the blower wheel yourself, you can hire a furnace maintenance technician to clean it and other parts during an annual furnace tune-up so your furnace is clean and ready to operate efficiently.

A Clean Furnace Helps With Indoor Air Quality

The air in your house is always being recirculated through your furnace and ducts when the furnace is running. If your furnace or house is dusty, or if you have pets with shed hair floating around, the debris can stay suspended in the air and bother your allergies. Or the dust can accumulate on your furniture.

You can avoid this problem by keeping the filter changed so it is able to pull dust and pet hair from the air as the air passes through the filter. The point of a furnace filter is to protect the furnace from dust floating around your home. By doing this, it keeps dust down in your home as well. A clean filter is the first line of defense against dust and indoor air pollution.

If you've been lax about changing the filter, and dust is already in your furnace, be sure to schedule a visit from a furnace maintenance company so they can clean out the furnace. If your ducts are dusty too, you might need to call a duct cleaning company to get them clean again.

Once your furnace and ducts are free from dust, you may notice an improvement in your indoor air quality. But if not, you can always talk to your furnace technician about installing a better filter or some other air treatment that cleans the air when your furnace runs.

A Clean Furnace Helps You Avoid Breakdowns

A filter that has a thick mat of dust on it restricts airflow through your furnace. This is a big problem since your furnace needs the proper amount of airflow to operate. If your furnace struggles, you might hear a whistling sound that alerts you to the problem. Unfortunately, your furnace might also overheat, parts might burn out, and your furnace may stop working completely, all because of a clogged filter.

While dust is a major threat to your furnace, soot can be an issue when you have a gas furnace. Changing the filter won't help with soot. Instead, a furnace maintenance technician cleans away soot from the combustion area during a service call so your entire furnace is clean and ready for winter heating.

For more information on furnace maintenance, contact a company like Paris Heating and Cooling.