by Deborah Percy

Created on: November 03, 2009   Last Updated: April 16, 2011

Long before the summer wardrobe is packed away and the jumpers, hats and scarves are bought out preparations should begin for the long cold winter ahead. You should be ready when the nights draw in and the temperature plummets, this is not the time to discover the heating system is not working. There are just a few simple steps to preparing the furnace for winter.

Turn the furnace on to see if it works, run it for a while in order to check the thermostat and that hot air is reaching the whole house. At this point you might remember that it was not working correctly in the spring when you turned it off! You will not be the only person who intended to call out an engineer but forgot.

After testing it, it is time to contact a qualified heating engineer to book a service. It can be serviced if it works, if not, the first part of the call out is for a repair. Furnaces should be serviced annually, every two years might be acceptable if it is recommended by the manufacturer or by your HVAC installer.

Even though you have booked a service, you do not need to pay an engineer to change the filter, you should be checking it on a monthly basis. Do this before he or she attends, yes, occasionally heating engineers are women.

Inspect the ducts and the registers. Leaking ducts should be sealed, registers should be fully open, cleaned and kept clear of the furniture or other obstructions. The system is designed for air to flow through the ducts and in and out of the registers. Leaking ducts and obstructed registers will make the system less efficient and require the furnace to work harder.

It is not usually necessary to clean the ducts despite the claims made by companies who offer this service or those who would sell magical chemicals for you to do it yourself. The U.S. government states that there is no evidence that cleaning of ducts will either improve the quality of air in the home or improve the efficiency of the heating system. There are times when duct cleaning is recommended, if there is a vermin infestation, for example.

This might be a good time to shop around, compare the costs of fuel and consider switching provider in order to save costs or get a better service from the utility company.

If the furnace is fuelled by propane or oil arrange a delivery and check whether you are still getting the best deal for your fuel.

By preparing your furnace for winter you will be ahead of the queue if you need parts, maintenance or fuel deliveries. You might be amazed at how many people wait for the first taste of frost before they check whether their heating system works.

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