With December temperatures averaging around 34 degrees, one thing’s for sure: A Connecticut winter is only going to get colder. For heating services in Bolton, CT, seeking professional help from SM Mechanical Services can make all the difference when you need proper furnace winter maintenance.
Why Furnace Winter Maintenance Is Essential
When temperatures drop below freezing, the extreme cold stresses your furnace system. This strain causes your home’s furnace to work harder to warm your home, which can result in the unit needing repairs. This is especially true in an older home, as an aging unit, if not regularly maintained, may eventually need to be replaced.
Get Your Furnace Ready for Extreme Cold
The following tips will help ensure your furnace is working as efficiently as possible and ready to keep you warm through the brutally cold winter months.
- Replace the air filter regularly: A clean air filter ensures proper airflow during freezing outdoor temperatures and prevents your system from overworking itself.
- Close all doors and windows: Keep exterior doors, windows, garage doors, curtains, and blinds closed.
- Raise the temperature: Adjust the temperature in your home to two to four degrees higher than normal.
- Unblock the vents: Ensure that vents are accessible and unobstructed, including outer vents that may become blocked with ice and snow.
- Turn on ceiling fans: Use ceiling fans to circulate warm air through your home.
- Layer clothing to stay warm: Keep in mind that in extreme cold, your furnace exerts more energy just to maintain the temperature, so turning it up will only add undue stress. Layering your clothing and using blankets is a good way to keep your thermostat working well.
- Keep your thermostat set to a consistent temperature. Maintaining a consistent thermostat setting helps your furnace conserve energy; for example, if you turn it off before leaving home, it won’t have to work harder to warm a space back up.
- Reset your furnace when necessary: If your furnace shuts off, reset it as soon as possible. Doing so will clear error codes and alert you to any issues your system may be having.
Preparing for the Winter Season
An efficient furnace keeps you warm and comfortable during the winter, and during these colder times, it’s unlikely that you’ll turn your unit off. To protect it, there are routine furnace winter maintenance steps you can perform each year.
- Conduct a maintenance check to ensure your furnace is not leaking dangerous carbon monoxide.
- If needed, replace the battery.
- If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, consider upgrading to maintain a consistent temperature throughout your home.
- Replace the furnace filter regularly.
- Keep your home humid to boost warmth by boiling water or making soup.
- Use space heaters in smaller spaces or to support your furnace in larger rooms, especially those with high or vaulted ceilings.
- Check the pilot light on your furnace before the winter season to ensure it is operating properly.
- Regularly maintain your unit’s combustion chamber by scheduling a service appointment. A furnace technician can check the combustion chamber for debris, corrosion, and cracks.
- Have your furnace’s heat exchanger inspected annually; through the combustion process, it absorbs the heat from your furnace’s fuel source.
Maintain Your Furnace While Traveling
During Bolton’s cold winters, many people travel to warmer climates for the remainder of the season. Even if you’re taking a shorter trip, it’s still vital for you to protect your furnace so that it keeps working while you’re away from home. If you plan to travel and know you will be away from your home for a while, prep your furnace system; keep your furnace at a lower temperature. Setting your thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good rule of thumb.
Having a neighbor conduct daily home wellness checks is also a good idea to look out for any furnace issues that might pop up in your absence. They can let you know if anything is amiss, so you won’t have an unwanted surprise waiting for you when you return home.
Additional Extreme Cold Furnace Tips
Here are a few final furnace winter maintenance tips you will find useful:
- Stop heat loss: To cut down on heat loss in your home and combat stress on your furnace system, ensure that your home’s barriers and insulation are intact. If you need new attic insulation, for example, it’s a good idea to take care of that before the winter season.
- Seal all drafts: Carefully check for door and window drafts and seal them immediately. Even the slightest leaking of air can significantly impact your system’s ability to maintain a comfortable temperature.
- Create an emergency heating kit: You might also find it useful to create an emergency heating kit. This kit can consist of extra space heaters, electric blankets, heating pads, and other warming devices you can depend on in a pinch should your furnace ever lose power for any reason.
- Take care when using space heaters: While space heaters give your furnace system a boost by supplementing the heat in your home, it’s extremely important to take precautions when using them. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines by carefully reading the instructions and taking heed of the warning labels. Never use them as your main source of heat, to dry or warm clothes and bedding, to cook, or to thaw out frozen-over pipes.
- Do not run your furnace without a filter: Never consider running your furnace without a filter. This is a risky practice that can greatly impact your furnace system, as well as the air quality in your home.
Professional Heating Services in Bolton, CT
Furnace winter maintenance is crucial to staying warm and safe in Bolton during extreme cold. At SM Mechanical Services, our fully licensed and insured technicians boast over 15 years of experience. We offer 24-hour emergency service and are available when you need us. Contact us to schedule professional winter maintenance by completing our online form or giving us a call at 860-544-2026.