Temperatures may be freezing, but the inside of your home should not be. The last thing you want is for your furnace to go out on frigid winter day. Keep your furnace in working condition this winter and stay warm with these helpful tips.

Keep the Space Around Your Furnace Clear of Clutter

Furnaces need some room to breathe! Do not place any objects up against a furnace and make sure the area around the unit is accessible. Furnace units have exhaust pipes, registers, fans, and intake vents that need to be free and clear for proper functioning. It’s a good rule of thumb to keep at least 18 inches of buffer room around your furnace. Your service technician will thank you as they will have easy access to the system for maintenance or repair.

Change the Air Filter

Keep your furnace in peak condition with this one simple task—change the air filter. Operating with a dirty filter affects the unit’s efficiency and can lead to more serious problems down the road. Check your owner’s manual and manufacturer guidelines to be sure you have the right size and type of filter.

Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Test your carbon monoxide detectors regularly and install a fire detector near your furnace as well. We cannot stress enough how important it is to have functioning carbon monoxide detectors throughout your house and especially around your furnace. Furnaces have the potential to leak carbon monoxide due to malfunctioning heat exchangers. Your detector could save your life.

Schedule Annual Maintenance

The best way to keep your furnace in working condition is to schedule annual maintenance with heating professionals. Do not wait until it is too late. 
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Pittsburgh offers worry-free, affordable, and valuable protection plans, which pricing that starts at a low monthly fee. Each service package features system checkups, discounts on repairs, guaranteed appointments, and more.

As always, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Pittsburgh is always on-call to handle your service needs. Should any problem arise with your heating system, give the experts a call right away.