Get Your Furnace Ready For Winter
Get ready! Cold weather is coming. The average first freeze date for our region is around November 22. That gives us a window of opportunity for Daffan Cooling & Heating to provide you with a furnace and heater inspection and tune-up in the Granbury, Texas area.
As we approach the winter season in Hood County and nearby communities, here are some things to consider to make sure your heating system will be in top condition to handle the cold temperatures.
Check your filters before starting up the heater. Make sure you’ve got a clean filter installed.
It’s important that the heat exchanger burners are also clean. Over the summer, dust and lint settle on the burner, causing that annoying burn-off smell. If this is something you can’t take care of yourself, it’s a good idea to call your Daffan technician and let them handle it.
During the summer, you may have moved some furniture or floor rugs around. Take a look and make sure they are not covering any of the air registers. You want to make sure your heating system has good airflow.
Your Daffan technician can also check the settings on your thermostat and make sure everything is operating as it should. These days, thermostats are getting more and more “smart,” meaning they can be controlled over your home WiFi network. Unfortunately, that makes the learning curve a little steeper. Your Daffan tech can give you a quick lesson on how to operate your thermostat for the best performance.
This is also a good time to take a look at the seals around windows and doors, as well as the insulation in the attic.
Sometimes people will turn to their space heaters or fireplaces if they haven’t had time to get their main furnace up and running before a cold spell. Hopefully, you won’t have to do that, but just in case, here are some space/portable heater safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association:
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
- Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
- Never use your oven to heat your home.
- Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters, or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
- Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters.
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
- Test smoke alarms monthly.
