The temperatures in central Pennsylvania have started to hover in the 60s and 70s, and that means you won’t need to use your furnace much – if at all – for a few months.
However, you’ll want to make sure you do a little end-of-season furnace care so it’s good to go in the fall.
Change your furnace filter.
There’s no reason to wait to change the filter in your furnace. Over the winter, your filter operated as the “lungs” of your home. As you can imagine, those “lungs” got pretty dirty in the process of keeping the air clean. If you’re not sure how to change your furnace filter, call SECCO Home Services and we’ll arrange to come for an end-of-season house visit. During the visit, we’ll show you how you can change the filter yourself in the future.
Make sure your carbon monoxide monitor is still going strong.
If you didn’t change your carbon monoxide monitor during the “spring forward” time change, do it now. Any indication of carbon monoxide in your home necessitates an immediate call to your gas furnace utility provider after getting your family out of the house to prevent fatalities or illnesses. Once you have protected everyone and the utility has turned off the natural gas to your home, contact SECCO to work on your furnace so it isn’t a danger to your family’s health.
Check your pilot light and burner assembly.
The pilot light and burner assembly are located in your furnace and can be visually inspected. However, many homeowners aren’t certain as to what they are looking for. In this case, it’s always better to get the assistance of an expert so you can be sure the pilot light and burner are a-okay. Occasionally, they may need to be cleaned or replaced.
If you will need a new furnace (or you want to switch from oil to gas or electric), start shopping now.
Most furnaces are operable and efficient for around 15-20 years. This means yours could be on its last legs if you’ve had it for the better part of two decades or even longer. Start investigating your new furnace options during the spring and summer; that way, when you are ready to purchase another furnace in the fall, you’ll have all the information you need to make a smart decision.
As with all home improvement projects, the more preventive steps you take to care for your furnace, the less concerns you’ll have when the weather cools down again.
