As the days get colder, your furnace or boiler starts running. What can you do to get the most from your heating system this winter?

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Check your thermostat. Get your thermostat ready for winter by changing the batteries (if your control uses them) and making sure the clock is set correctly for daylight savings time. If your carbon monoxide detector has a battery, now is a good time to change that too. Consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat to save even more money. If you already have one, check to make sure that it is programmed correctly.

Check your airflow. Make sure the areas around your heating vents are clear so that nothing blocks your airflow—on both supply registers and return air grilles. Drapes and furniture can effectively block air from coming into the room. If you vacuum the louvers you’ll also remove dust that could be drawn into your furnace.

Check your radiators. If you have a boiler, vacuum the radiators or baseboards for best heat transfer and make sure they too are not blocked by carpet, drapes or furniture.

Seal and insulate any exposed ductwork. If you have ductwork that runs through an attic or other unconditioned space, make sure that it is tight and doesn’t leak your precious, conditioned air. Once your ductwork is sealed, consider having it insulated with the proper thickness of duct insulating material. More of your warm air will be able to make it where it’s going. Boiler piping can also benefit the same way from insulation.

Make sure your filter is clean. You’ll not only keep the air your family is breathing clean, you’ll avoid damage to your furnace caused by dust build up in your equipment. Checking the filter once for the heating season may not be enough. Mark your calendar or sign up for our email filter reminder service at www.pkwadsworth.com.

Turn on your humidifier. For most humidifiers (typically the bypass type), when they are set to the “on” or “winter” mode, moisture is added to your air every time the blower runs. Now is the time to change the setting to make sure you don’t suffer from winter dryness symptoms like dry skin, static shocks and nosebleeds.

Open your supply registers. Take the time to check that each supply in your home is fully open and not loose. You would be surprised at how often we see rooms that aren’t heating well where this was the problem. Some children love to play with the damper lever, and we have even seen situations where contractors closed the damper while working in the home and forgot to open it again when they were done.

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8 Let the sun shine in. Make your windows work for you. Opening the drapes on the sunny side of your home can really warm things up. (Dogs and cats know this, that’s why they sleep there!) Once the sun has moved to the other side of the home, closing an insulated drape can help keep the cold air out. You may even want to remove your screens as they can block about 25% of solar radiation.

Get a Home Performance Assessment. You’ll get the most out of your heating system if you keep that nice, warm air inside your home. Determine where your home’s efficiency can be improved with a depressurization test and infrared camera. It’s a real eye opener!

Rethink your basement remodel. Your furnace or boiler might not be great to look at, but they need to “breathe” to work properly. Finishing a basement by building a small room around your equipment can really cause problems. You can make it difficult to service the equipment/perform repairs, reduce efficiency and insufficient combustion air in the room can cause serious health/safety issues.

Get a precision tune up every year. Studies show that heating equipment that is maintained annually lasts 3-5 years longer and can be up to 20% more efficient than equipment that has not been maintained. You can also catch small repairs before they become major issues and verify your equipment is operating as safely as possible. Problems may still occur but will be less serious if you catch them early.

Move it over. Make sure there’s room around the heating equipment and that nothing is stored on top of it. Combustible materials should be moved away from both the furnace/boiler and hot water tank to prevent a fire hazard. In addition, move any cat litter boxes, detergents or cleaning products away from the area around the furnace or boiler. They can cause corrosive damage and greatly shorten the life of heating equipment.

Where does your dryer vent? If your furnace vents through PVC piping, make sure the dryer vent is not too close to the air intake pipe. We have seen situations where homeowners moved their dryer vent and caused real problems with their high-efficiency furnaces.

Seal leaks in your home. You don’t want your nice, warm air to slip right outside or up into your attic (recessed lights are famous for allowing this to occur). What a waste! Seal leaks and install weather stripping around doors and windows using the information you gained during your Home Performance Assessment. After making changes to the tightness of your home, make sure that your home still “breathes” enough fresh air by having a follow up test done by your building analyst.

Run your fan the other way. Most ceiling fans have the ability to spin in the other direction, which pushes the warm air that rises to the ceiling back into the room. Rooms with high ceilings can really notice a difference when running a ceiling fan.

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We hope you find these 15 tips helpful to keep your

furnace or boiler running at peak performance through

the colder months! We would be happy to provide

you with additional help to keep your heating system

working efficiently. Call us at (440) 248-2110, or visit us

online at www.pkwadsworth.com if you have specific

questions or have other heating and cooling needs.

34280 Solon Rd.Solon, OH 44139Phone: (440) 248-2110www.pkwadsworth.com

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