Maintaining your gas heating furnace system

Maintaining your gas heating furnace system is important both to help make the system last longer and to help keep the operating costs as low as possible. All furnaces should be cleaned and inspected annually and there are some things you can do yourself to save money but everyone should call a qualified technician to inspect the system every fall as well as to make any necessary repairs.

There are several things that can be done to make sure your system stays clean and all the compartments or cabinets should be cleaned at least once per year. Using a vacuum cleaner or compressed air to remove dirt and other debris is important to maintain not only the system but also to maintain the air in your home. Care must be taken to make sure the power is off before performing any heating unit cleaning.

Most heating system furnaces have what looks like a light switch right next to them, on the side of the unit or nearby, turn off this switch. The circuit breaker in the electrical panel should also be turned off just to be safe. The proper way to determine if the power is actually off is to physically check it with a voltage meter of some type.  Always be very careful with electricity as it can be lethal, if you are not comfortable performing any of these steps please do not perform them.

Once you are sure the power is off you can proceed with removing the front doors of your heating unit , these doors usually require you to slide them up and then by tipping out the bottom the door usually comes right off. Some furnaces are very stubborn about this and it may take some time to figure out exactly how the thing comes off.

Vacuum any debris or dirt from the bottom of each compartment of your heating unit, if there is dust inside the gas burner tubes then this also should be vacuumed clean. Look closely at the main blower fan assembly, the blower wheel and motor should be clean for maximum efficiency and to maintain the life of the motor. Usually you can simply vacuum the area on either side as best as possible or blow compressed air into the two side openings and into the motor itself.

If the blower wheel and motor is very dirty the entire assembly can be carefully removed after disconnecting and labeling any wires on both ends. Once you have it out you can vacuum as much dirt and debris off as possible, what many professionals use is compressed air to blow the dirt off the blower wheel and from inside the motor itself.

To the left is an image of a blower wheel that has not been cleaned, all of the blades are coated with dust which reduces the amount of air being delivered by the blower but also increases the energy consumed by adding friction. The blades curve is also changed by the dust which can significantly reduce the overall amount of air the blade an actually cut into.

The next image shows a couple blades cleaned with a brush, you can now see the painted metal surface which is smooth and causes less friction as well as the air flow increases because of the lower friction but also because the blades shape is back to the original curve allowing it to cut into the air as designed.

Replace the blower assembly and reconnect the wires exactly as they were before, this is very important as you can ruin the motor and capacitor and in some cases other components as well. Also, most motors are three or four speed motors and specific speeds should have been set by the installer when first installed and these speeds should only be changed by a qualified technician.


CAUTION - Always be very careful with electricity as it can be lethal, if you are not comfortable performing any of these steps please do not perform them, of course you are performing these steps at your own risk.

Important Note: The heating system control board is sometimes very sensitive to static electricity, avoid touching this board to prevent failure.

These easy to understand HVAC maintenance tips are for common tasks that almost any homeowner can perform.
Please do not perform these tips if you are not comfortable performing them. Electricity is dangerous and can cause serious injury or death, always assume electrical power is on unless you have checked it with an appropriate electrical meter. Ameri-Serv, Inc. assumes no liability for the use of the information provided on this website. Before beginning please read the following article. Understanding Electrical Circuits and Standard Household Voltages

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