Gas Furnace Maintenance and Safety

Gas furnace maintenance is a very crucial job which must be done by a qualified technician. Your gas furnace must be cleaned every year. Along with the cleaning, you have to check the gas furnace, whether it is working properly or not. If the gas furnace is not working properly, then carbon monoxide is produced. Carbon monoxide is highly poisonous and can cause flu like symptoms, confusion, dizziness and many other health hazards. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of natural gas. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless. Older furnaces can emit more carbon monoxide due to the decreased efficiency of combustion. Also, older furnaces develop cracks in heat exchangers and these cracks serve as an outlet for the leakage of carbon monoxide gas. These cracks in the gas furnace are not even visible to the naked eyes. Therefore, it is important to undertake a gas furnace maintenance program every year.

Guidelines for Gas Furnace Maintenance

Air Filters
Air filters are an important part of the gas furnace and in gas furnace maintenance, cleaning and maintaining the filter plays a significant role. There are three types of air filters, cardboard, fiberglass and plastic filters. If your air filter is cardboard or fiberglass, replace them with new ones when they become dirty. In case of the plastic filters, wash the filters with detergent and dry the filters thoroughly. Dirty air filter can cause a gas furnace to shut down, limit switches may see burner box temperatures exceed the temperature settings and interrupt furnace operation. Keeping a clean air filter in place is critical. After cleaning the filter, replace it in the original place. Besides, nowadays, there are electronic air filters also. There are instructions on how to clean the electronic filter that come along with the product manual and maintenance guide. It is important to note that you should not turn on the gas furnace without installing the filter.

Lubricating the Motor Assy. annually
after the cleaning session is over, you should turn to the lubrication section of the gas furnace. This is another crucial step in gas furnace maintenance. There are two types of motors viz., motors with oiling ports and motors without oiling ports. The motors without oiling ports are lubricated at the time of manufacture and require no lubrication.

On the other hand, motor with oiling ports requires oiling once in a year or two. This oiling depends upon the usage of the gas furnace. Remember; do not add excess oil to the motor bearings. If you add excessive oil to the bearing, there are chances of the motor getting damaged.

Regular Cleanup of Motor and Blower Wheel
When you call the service technician, he must clean the motor and blower wheel periodically. Dust and dirt accumulated on the motor can cause the motor to overheat and damage the windings. Along with the motor, the blower wheel must also be cleaned. Dust and dirt can obstruct the air flow in the furnace and this can damage the gas furnace.

Additional Things to be Inspected by the Service Technician
There are many other things that you must check. The list of these things is as follows:
• Venting system
• Burners
• Corrosion
• Heat exchanger passages
• Flue pipes
• Hot surface igniters