How To Keep Your Furnace Clean So Dust And Grime Don't Cause A Malfunction To Occur

Your furnace accumulates a surprising amount of dust and dirt over the heating season. All the air in your home is circulated through the furnace and heating ducts so any dust in your home can fall out and accumulate inside the furnace. While the filter catches a lot of dust and keeps it out of the furnace, dust still manages to get inside, especially if you get lax about changing the filter on time. That's why regular furnace cleaning is important. Here are some tips for keeping your furnace clean.

Remove Visible Dust From The System

Clean your furnace and registers as part of your housecleaning routine so dust doesn't have a chance to build up on them. Also, by keeping dust out of your home and out of the air, you may decrease the amount that makes its way into your furnace. You can use a vacuum wand to clear dust out of the registers and from the outside of your furnace. Keep the area around your furnace as clean and free from dust as possible. If your furnace is in the basement, it's easy to forget about, but it will collect more dust when it's neglected. In addition to controlling dust, don't forget to change the filter regularly so it's able to trap particles from the air before the air is pulled into your furnace.

Hire A Professional To Service Your Furnace

You should have your furnace cleaned by a professional on the schedule recommended by the manufacturer of your furnace or your HVAC technician. Once a year is a common frequency, especially for older furnaces. During this service call, the technician cleans the inside of the furnace as part of the preventative maintenance checklist. This ensures dust, grit, and dirt are removed from the blower, motor, and ignition area where soot can build up. It's important to keep these areas clean so your furnace functions properly. While it's also important to have a clean furnace for air quality reasons, a dirty furnace can malfunction and have a shorter lifespan.

Air is pushed through the furnace and your home by a blower, and dust and grime can accumulate on the blades and cage of the blower. This makes the parts sticky and difficult to move, which can cause your furnace to overheat and shut down. By having your furnace cleaned regularly, you can avoid damage that comes from the buildup of grime that could eventually cause your furnace to break down. Talk to companies like Always Ready Repair for more information.