How to Care for a Dormant Furnace in the Spring

Proper furnace care extends right up to the time you stop using it for the season. As the air conditioner becomes the primary comfort provider in your home, the furnace is generally put to bed for the summer. However, certain specific furnace-care steps should be observed to make sure the unit is ready to spend a few dormant months while the AC carries the load. Here are some factors that need attention as another heating season winds down:

• Get professional service now. If your furnace has displayed lingering technical problems this past winter or just hasn’t met expectations as far as heating performance goes, now’s the time to get it checked out and resolved by a qualified HVAC service provider. Don’t shut down the unit for the summer with any issues still pending. Neglected problems may only be worse when fall rolls around and it’s time to start the furnace up again.
• Turn off the gas at the main furnace gas valve. This will shut off the gas to the pilot light — if your furnace utilizes one — as well as the rest of the furnace for the season.
• Make sure all supply and return vents are open. Over the winter, it’s possible someone may have closed a supply vent in a particular room to reduce heat. Or, a supply or return vent may have become obstructed by some object. For proper transition from the heating to the cooling season, it’s important that full, balanced airflow into each room in the house is restored.
• Test carbon monoxide detectors. A gas furnace is not the only potential source of dangerous carbon monoxide inside a home: stoves, water heaters, garage fumes, among other culprits, are year-round sources of CO. Press the “Test” button on each carbon monoxide detector in the house to verify proper operation. If your detectors are battery operated, be sure to install fresh batteries at the manufacturer’s recommended interval.

For professional furnace care as winter slips away and spring arrives, contact the experts at CCAC.