6 Important Furnace Safety Tips

Cooler weather makes way for family gatherings and happy memories. Before curling up with your blanket and settling in for the season, it’s important to prepare your furnace for winter. While you rely on your AC in the summer, it’s easy to forget about your furnace. Before you crank up the heat this winter, take a moment to check in with your heater.

Furnace safety can be easily overlooked, but it’s not something to take lightly. Southern Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing knows all about heater safety, and we want to help Baton Rouge homeowners stay warm and safe this season.

Today, we’ve rounded up our top 6 furnace safety tips for your home. Follow these tricks to keep your furnace running at its peak performance!

Clear The Area Around Your Unit

When you aren’t using your furnace, it’s easy to forget about it. But before you start up your heater, it’s time to clean up. As you know, your furnace gets hot while it runs, and this can be dangerous if the surrounding area is not clear.

Always keep children and pets away from the unit, as well as flammable items. Common flammable items in your home may include:

• Drapes
• Pet beds
• Chemical cleaners
• Laundry products
• Rags and clothes

All flammable items should stay at least 3 feet away from your furnace.

Clean Your Furnace Before Running It

In the summer, your major concern is taking care of your air conditioner. But before winter arrives, it’s time to take care of your furnace. You can also follow these steps every month to help keep your furnace in tip-top shape.

Clean away dust and buildup with a damp rag, first. Then, you can vacuum the inside of the furnace. You can also check the flame of your furnace, a blue flame means that you’re all set! A yellow color means that it’s time to call a professional for help.

Change The Filters In Your Heater

If you’re already cleaning, you might as well finish this task, too! Your heater’s filters keep your air clean, so it’s important to keep them clean.

To avoid buildup, which can pollute your air and cause a fire hazard, you should change your filter at least every three months. The exact time you need between filter changes will depend on your furnace and your filters themselves.

Schedule Professional Heating Maintenance

Just like an air conditioner, your heater needs professional tune-ups. A yearly inspection helps to identify any issues with your unit before they cause major damage. Scheduling your tune-up before winter is the best way to keep your furnace running all season.

Know The Furnace Warning Signs

Following our previous tips, like cleaning your unit and keeping the surrounding area clear, will go a long way in preventing issues. But sometimes random issues can come about, and it’s important to keep an eye out for major problems.

Your furnace might not be working properly if you notice:

• A burning or hot smell
• A rotten egg-like or gas smell
• The unit turns on and off frequently
• The fan sounds like it’s running constantly
• Your home isn’t heating while the unit is running
• The pilot light burns yellow or doesn’t stay lit

These problems all require professional help, so make sure you have a trusted heating technician in your area.

Remember, if you smell burning or gas, shut your furnace off immediately. Open your windows, leave the home and call a professional as soon as possible. Do not turn your unit back on until a professional has looked at it and fixed it.

Test Your Carbon Monoxide And Smoke Alarms

If your heater relies on natural gas, you need a functioning carbon monoxide detector. Make sure that you check on the device throughout the season to keep it working correctly.

You can change the batteries in the detector at least every six months. Plus, you’ll need to replace the detector after about six years. Keeping the batteries fresh, and the detector fresh will help keep your home and family safe!

Premium Baton Rouge Heating Services

Keeping your furnace running is important, and home maintenance goes a long way with this. Cleaning the unit, changing filters and clearing the heater’s area will keep your furnace running and your home safe. But, if you need a professional tune-up, you need an HVAC team you can trust!

Southern Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing provides Baton Rouge homeowners with the best heating and cooling services around. Whether you’re looking for an AC tune-up or a furnace replacement, we are happy to help. Our skilled technicians will take care of your home’s systems with your comfort and safety in mind.

Are you in need of a furnace inspection? Schedule yours today and keep your home warm this season!