The start of fall means it’s time to check your HVAC and furnace

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - Saturday at 1:50 a.m. marks the official start of fall and that means now is a good time to check your furnace and home heating system to be sure it’s ready for the new season.

Gregg James from Hurtis Heating and Air says it’s like taking care of your car and making sure it’s ready for the different seasons. If you don’t take care of it routinely, it will breakdown. The same goes for your HVAC and furnace. Hurtis has already been to 40 houses before the new season. James says a majority of calls in the winter could be avoided if the furnace and HVAC are checked now. A furnace has a lot of moving parts and motors in it. If it is not maintained, it could cause uncomfortable and dangerous conditions in your home.

“Any gas appliance inside of your house can produce CO, if it’s not vented properly. So, the furnace, if it’s older can get a crack inside of its heat exchanger, which allows that CO to leak into the air that’s being blown into the house, essentially blowing CO throughout the whole house, “said James.

James says that there are some things you can do on your own, like changing the air filter in your home. The air filter helps the air quality in your home. James says changing it will also prevent dust from getting inside. If dust does get inside, the furnace will get clogged and shorten the life of the appliance. If it’s a one-inch filter, you should change the filter once a month when it’s running. A four- or five-inch filter can be replaced every 6 months to a year. James says it’s a good idea to check it every six months just to be sure it’s clear.

“It is important to change that because if you don’t change your filter and it gets plugged up, it restricts the airflow. It can also make the blower motor work too hard because it’s trying to suck the air through a plugged filter,” said James.

James says the easiest way to remember the last time you changed your filter is to write the date on it when you change it. Another idea, if you have a smartphone put it in your calendar and set an alert reminding you to change your filter.

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