Furnaces are high-capacity, complex pieces of equipment that work hard to keep your home comfortably warm – if you want to save on repair and energy bills with a few easy operations, here are a few DIY furnace maintenance tips that will surely make your furnace live longer and work better and will keep you from having to contact one of the furnace repair Denver professionals for a replacement.

The Tools You Need

These maintenance operations are intended to make the job of the furnace easier by removing impurities, so the tools you will need are common tools used for cleaning: a brush and a piece of soft cloth for the dusting, a vacuum cleaner and a drinking straw for removing dust from very small components.

The Operations

Do these maintenance operations twice a year to increase the longevity of your furnace:

• Power off the unit and shut off the gas, then check and double check that the furnace is not under current and the gas supply is off indeed.
• Remove the door of the combustion chamber and the burner cover – combustion chamber doors can be usually easily lifted, while burner cover doors are held in place with screws.
• Inspect the interior of the combustion chamber for the presence of soot – the fine black power indicates insufficient burning.
• Get a vacuum cleaner and run it wherever you see dust in the combustion chamber and in the blower compartment.
• Remove the blower to clean it as well – if your unit has a control panel in front of the component, you will have to remove it before you can reach the blower.
• Use a vacuum and a thin, but stiff brush to dust the blower.
• Replace the blower filter – cheap, universal filters made from fiberglass are the best replacement filters.
• Locate the pilot and use a drinking straw to remove dust from it.
• Clean the sensor of the pilot with a piece of fine sand paper, then put it back into its place.
• Clean the hot surface igniter by blowing it with the straw, but be careful not to touch it because it is a very important, but very fragile component of your furnace, even the lightest touch can break it.
• If your unit is belt-driven, inspect the drive belt for any cracks – if you notice any damage, replace the belt yourself or call an expert to replace it for you.
• Lubricate the bearings around the belt, but don’t overdo it, two or three drops of oil per bearing is enough.
• If your furnace has a special operating mode for winter and another one for summer, adjust the damper for the upcoming season.
• Inspect the air ducts for any damage, such as leaks if you notice any place where air can escape from the system, seal it with metal tape or silicone.

And the last one of our DIY furnace maintenance tips: don’t forget to clean and check your furnace before winter and before summer – there is nothing worse than noticing a breakdown when you need to furnace to be working hard for your comfort.