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Dust Removal And Your Heating System

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If you have a forced air heating system hat uses natural gas for fuel, then you may notice that the unit and your home is a bit dusty during the winter months. If so, this means that you absolutely should complete some maintenance on the heating system to remove as much of the dust as you can. You will need to use a steady hand for this, so keep reading to learn how and where you should remove dust.

Burners and Internal Furnace Cavity

The first place where you want to remove dust is within the main cavity of the furnace. This is where dust can settle on the wires, burners, and the ignitors. To get to this area, you want to remove the front cover from the furnace. This will expose all of the internal parts and you should inspect them for a layer of dust.

At this time, you want to prepare the hose part of your vacuum cleaner. Since the hose will be too big to fit into many of the smaller furnace spaces, you want to attach a small tube to the end of it. A one-half inch to one-inch clear drainage hose can work well for this. Cut the hose to a length of about two feet, set it into the end of the vacuum hose and use a long piece of duct tape to close the main vacuum opening and to secure the drain hose in place. 

Test the end for suction and then use it to get into the small and tight spaces inside the furnace. Move the hose around to remove dust as you go. Make sure to be careful when suctioning the ignitor though as small amounts of pressure can break the ceramic end of the device.

Blower Compartment 

You want to keep your drainage hose attached to the vacuum nozzle for the blower compartment dusting as well. Start by removing the blower compartment cover. Bolts will often connect the cover to the main furnace housing, so use your ratchet set to find the right socket wrench for the job. You can vacuum out the inside of the cover once you remove it. 

At this time, you want to take a look at the blades within the blower to see if they are caked with dust. This dust will often be stuck quite strongly to the blades so a small and soft brush should be used to dislodge it. You can then use your vacuum end to suck up the dust. 

Once the blower blades are clean, you can replace the blower cover and the main cover. If you still notice some dust when the unit is running, then contact your heating specialist for more thorough and professional heating system maintenance, such as Phil's Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.


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