by the Professional Power Tool Guide Crew
Your furnace turns into your best friend once the winter months hit. It’s the one thing that keeps you warm when Mother Nature continuously throws frost your way. Getting your furnace ready for winter is just one of the many things you have to do to your home before the cold sets in, but it is certainly a good place to start. An inefficient furnace can quickly make for a high energy bill, so do yourself a favor and take care of it ahead of time. Here are some tips you can use.
The first thing you need to do when getting your furnace ready for winter is make sure that you have a good filter. Your filter has either been sitting idle all summer or it has been frequently used for your central cooling system. Either way, it may need to be replaced. During the winter months, you need to replace these filters once a month to ensure they are working properly, though you can get away with every other month if you don’t use the unit much. Before you change the filter, make sure you temporarily shut the unit off. Then check it for dust and debris and replace accordingly. If you have a reusable filter, clean it as frequently as you can.
In getting your furnace ready for winter, you should probably get an inspector out to assess the situation, especially if you have an older furnace. The unit itself is a little more complicated than what most people want to get into, so it may be nice to get a professional option to make sure nothing can go wrong. That person can check for leaks or malfunctioning parts that could cause the unit to run poorly. It may cost you $100 to get it looked at, but it beats having to replace the whole furnace if something unexpected happens.
Sometimes, however, buying a new unit is part of getting your furnace ready for winter. The fact is that technology is always changing, even in the heating industry. Products cost more money now because they work better and last a lot longer. There are a ton of options out there, but the unit you choose will likely be much more efficient than what you have now. Be willing to spend a little extra money for a really efficient unit because it will likely save you enough money in monthly heating bills to make up for the difference
