How to Prevent a Furnace Disaster This Winter

When cold weather arrives in Manchester, having a furnace that is operating properly is important. Rather than sitting in a home that's cold or barely warm, people can instead sit back and enjoy themselves knowing their furnace is at peak efficiency. To make sure your furnace is in good shape, here are a few tips to make sure you won't have a furnace disaster this winter season.

Carbon Monoxide Leaks

If a furnace is older, it may develop cracks or other places on it that would allow carbon monoxide to leak out into the home. Because the gas is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, it can be damaging if not fatal if it goes undetected. To make sure this doesn't happen, many people now have carbon monoxide detectors installed on or near their furnaces. This is important because many people still believe their smoke detectors are able to pick up carbon monoxide levels, which is incorrect.

Look for Soot Accumulation

By opening the furnace access door on most furnaces, people can check their flues for soot accumulation. If there is little or no soot accumulation, a furnace technician can clean out the flue sufficiently. However, if there is a large amount of soot in the flue, a chimney sweep may need to be called to clean it out. Regardless of how much or how little soot is found, it's important to keep the flue clean in order to lessen the chances of the soot catching fire. Because many homes each year burn down due to flue fires, it's vital to check for this and take the appropriate measures.

Clean the Ductwork

While many people make it a point to clean dust and dirt from their furnaces, they often fail to do the same when it comes to their ductwork. However, if their ductwork contains dirt and other debris, it will not be able to spread the heat throughout the house in an efficient manner. If the ductwork has not been cleaned in many years, a service technician should be called to inspect the ductwork and clean it as soon as possible. Along with cleaning the ductwork, it should also be examined for any cracks or other damage it may have sustained over the years. If any damage is found, that part should be replaced by a technician as soon as possible. By doing so, both it and the furnace will work more efficiently in your Manchester residence.

Don't suffer from a furnace disaster in your Manchester, NH home this season. Call Skovron Mechanical Services LLC. at (603) 674-9885 and get assistance now.