You want to make sure your furnace is in top shape, or you could be left in the cold when winter snow and cold weather comes to New York. It could fail or have problems once you begin to use it heavily, even if your furnace is in good shape when you start the season. In addition to common troubleshooting for heating problems, we at New York Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing would like to share some things you should do to ensure that your furnace or heating system runs smoothly throughout the winter.

Ensure Furnace Switches & Motor Work

To ensure your blower motors work properly, periodically turn on your furnace’s switches after periods of non-use. If you smell something burning or hear rattling or clunking, be on the lookout for weird sounds and smells and contact a professional. If you suspect that something is wrong with the motor, do not use your furnace.

Conduct Seasonal Furnace Maintenance

Having a professional come out and do a thorough pre-season furnace and air duct check before winter starts is the best way to prevent or reduce the chance of total furnace failure. If you have a gas furnace, professional can check your pilot light along with your blower motors and switches. They can clean any filters and air ducts at the same time.

Check Air Filters Often

Give them a check off and on throughout the winter season, even if you just had your filters checked during pre-season maintenance. Filters can get clogged quickly with heavy use, as well as pet hair and dust flowing through the system. Uneven heating and restricted airflow that cause other issues occur when the filters are clogged.

Clear Air Vents

To make sure that you don’t have furniture, rugs, and other items blocking them, inspect the furnace registers. It could create pressure problems that could damage your heating system if too many registers are blocked or closed in your home. Constant hot air blowing is also not good for your rugs and furniture.

Replace Battery in Thermostat

Especially programmable ones, thermostats likely operate on batteries instead of being directly wired into the system. These thermostats will tell you when the battery is getting low normally, however, not always. Your heater may not turn on at all when the thermostats don’t work. This problem is easy to remedy with new batteries, thankfully. You may wish to contact a professional to take a look if you aren’t sure if your thermostat is battery-operated.

Read a Furnace Code

Whenever there is a problem, most modern thermostats have an indicator light that flashes a code. To find out the error code, you count the number of flashes. Generally, this is a two-number code with one number flashing, then a pause, and the second number flashing. Helpful information to give to the technician who can then diagnose and repair the unit quickly includes this code number, as well as your furnace’s brand name when you call for service.

What is Considered an Old Furnace?

It is more likely to fail with heavy winter use if you have an older furnace. Consider replacing it before the next season if your furnace is approaching the 20-year mark.

Forced Air Furnace & Boiler Maintenance, Repair, Replacement & More in Bedford Hills, Manhattan, Flushing, Queens, Brooklyn & The Bronx, New York

To ensure that it is safe and will continue to produce adequate heat during the season, you may benefit from a mid-season checkup. For all of your furnace service needs in New York,
contact New York Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing and let our experts assist you.