3 Ways To Improve Your Furnace

Unless you are an HVAC professional, the inside of your furnace probably looks foreign and complicated. Obviously, most furnace repairs and maintenance should be done by a professional serviceman. However, that is not to say that there aren't several things you can do on your own to improve the functionality and airflow produced by your furnace. This article explains three basic things that will help keep your furnace running more efficiently. These are simple DIY jobs that don't require any complicated tools and that you can go do right now.

Clean the Perimeter of Your Furnace Cabinet

The first thing you should do is clean the area around your furnace. The furnace is often located in storage rooms, basements, or garages where there is a lot of dust. Dust on the outside of your furnace might not seem problematic, but it can definitely get sucked or blown in through the vents, causing problems with the pump, fan, and/or filter. Basically, it is smart to keep the area around your furnace clean as a preventative measure.

Clean the Cabinet Vents

Also, inspect and clean the exterior vents of the furnace cabinet. If there is dust and dirt caked in between them, this could be a bad sign. You should vacuum this dust and dirt away. Try not to push the dirt through the vent and into the cabinet. After you clean the vents, keep an eye on them. If the dust builds up again within a couple of weeks, that could be a more serious problem with your furnace, particularly the filtering system.

Tape and Seal Your Duct Seams

You can also improve the functionality of your furnace by servicing the output ducts. The large aluminum ducts that come out of your furnace and work their way into your walls can often get knocked loose. This usually causes air to leak at the duct seams. A quick and easy way to fix this is to tape all of the individual seams. Use aluminum foil tape or duct tape to do this. This will not only fix air leaks, but it will also prevent the problem from happening again if you do happen to bump or dislodge the ducts.

These simple jobs won't cost you much money, but they could end up saving you cash in the long term by reducing your utility bills. It could also help to prolong the life of your furnace. Contact a company like Dick  Kearsley Service Center for more assistance.