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FURNACE MAINTENANCE

Did you know it's important to clean and inspect your furnace once a year? This can be done by a licensed and professional technician at 1-800-Plumber +Air of Richmond. We recommend getting this check up done once a year right before the chilly months start, around September. This annual inspection will ensure that everything within your furnace is working properly, and will allow your furnace to last longer, saving you money (and cold nights) in the future. If you don't have your furnace inspected, the worst situation is that it can leak carbon monoxide into the house, which is a poisonous gas. This can happen without you realizing, until it's too late. So make sure to get your furnace inspected once a year! This is typically an inexpensive cost and will save you so much in the long run.

What does this annual cleaning entail?

1. Shut down the system
   First, we will shut down the power and the fuel supply to your heater.

2. Clean the combustion chamber
   In the combustion chamber, fuel mixes with air and ignites, which is the process that heats your home. This can create soot in the machine, and a build up of soot can cause the chamber to erode. We can clean all of this out before it becomes a problem.

3. Check for holes in the flue pipe
   The flue pipe is the exhaust pipe, and if there are any holes here, it could leak carbon monoxide into your home. Tiny holes can be patched up by a professional, but big holes means the pipe needs to be replaced to maintain safety regulations.

4. Change the filter
   There's an air filter on every furnace that filters the air that you breathe in. This should be replaced once every year. (This part you can do on your own.)

5. Test for efficiency

6. Clean any ducts to remove debris

What to do if your furnace won't turn on

If your furnace isn't working, your best option is to call a professional, licensed technician, like 1-800-Plumber +Air of Richmond. Of course, there are some steps you can take, but we don't recommend doing them on your own.

Check your circuit breakers - Even if your furnace runs on gas, parts of it may be electric. Check to make sure your circuit breaks for your HVAC are turned to ON.

Check your thermostat - If your furnace won't turn on, your thermostat may have reset or it may be on the wrong setting. Make sure your thermostat is set to "heat" and try turning the heat up a few degrees hotter to see if it will turn on.

Check the drain pan - A drain pan collects water that the HVAC takes from the air. When your HVAC is working properly, the water should drain automatically, however, if your drain pan is full, a triggered switch may be stopping it from turning on. Make sure the pan's drain is clear or that the pump is working properly. (We recommend getting a professional to help you with this.)

Check the air filter - If the air filter is very dirty, it could be clogging the machine, and a safety feature is preventing it from turning on and allowing you to breathe in debris.

Check the pilot light - Typically, modern furnaces have a pilot light and if it's out, the heat won't turn on. This is a safety feature to prevent gas from coming into the house.

Check your gas supply - Try turning on your gas stove and see if it lights. If not, you may have a gas issue.