Run the heat before you need it
Turn the thermostat to heat and raise it a few degrees on a mild fall day. You want to hear the furnace start, feel warm air at the registers within a few minutes, and have it shut off cleanly when the house reaches temperature. A faint burning-dust smell the first time is normal and should fade within an hour. If it doesn’t start, short-cycles or the smell persists, call before the cold arrives, when appointments are easier to get.
Fall checklist
- Change the filter. A clogged filter makes the furnace overheat and shut itself off.
- Replace the thermostat batteries if yours uses them.
- Clear around the furnace. Keep storage, laundry and paint cans away from it, especially anything flammable.
- Check the outdoor vents. High-efficiency furnaces vent through white plastic pipes on an outside wall or the roof. Keep them clear of leaves, weeds and, later, snowdrifts.
- Open the registers in every room. Closing vents doesn’t save energy on a forced-air system, and it strains the blower.
- Book a heating tune-up. A technician inspects the heat exchanger and burners, tests the safety controls and confirms the furnace is venting properly.
Carbon monoxide: the risk you can’t see or smell
Any appliance that burns gas, propane or wood can produce carbon monoxide (CO) if it isn’t burning or venting properly. A cracked heat exchanger or a blocked flue can push CO into the house. Early symptoms feel like the flu: headache, dizziness, nausea and tiredness, often in more than one person, and better when you’re away from home.
- Install CO alarms on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. Washington law requires CO alarms in most homes.
- Test them monthly and replace them on the date printed on the back, usually 5 to 10 years after manufacture.
- If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside, call 911 from outside, and don’t go back in until responders say it’s safe. Then call us to find the source.
If you smell gas
Natural gas has a rotten-egg odor added so leaks are noticeable. If you smell it, leave the house without switching lights or appliances on or off, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
A furnace that’s been inspected, with clean filters and working alarms, is the best way to start the season. Book a heating tune-up or call (509) 586-9464.