Warm Your Home for the Holidays

Thanksgiving is almost here - well, tomorrow, and you want your home to be warm and inviting for any guests (or just for yourself) that you are having over. It's part of the whole thing, the "Holiday" feel. Thank goodness that in California, We don't need to worry about heat too much, but it's raining today and a furnace might be a good idea. So, if you haven't run your furnace for awhile, it is a good idea to open all of the windows BEFORE you turn it on. Why? (I know this seems counter intuitive) Because it will probably smell like dust burning. Mmmm. right? yeah, you don't want that smelling up your home - drapes and other fabrics will hold that smell - hence the opening of the windows. The smell should stop after awhile, then you can go around and close the windows. However, if the smell does not go away, or if at any time you see flames - TURN the Furnace OFF! If you have already been using your furnace this year, Excellent! However, here are some things to remember. A furnace needs to be cleaned - at least once a year, and your FILTER should be changed about every 3 months (depending on the usage). Here are some sites that explain how to clean a furnace and some tips and suggestions: http://home.howstuffworks.com/furnace-maintenance1.htm http://www.aaaiaq.com/furnace_tips.html

According to How Stuff Works "Dirt is the biggest enemy of your furnace. It can waste fuel and drastically lower efficiency. Dirt affects all three basic components of your furnace, so cleaning is the most important part of regular maintenance. The three parts of the furnace should be cleaned: the filter system, the blower, and the motor. The furnace filter should be replaced or cleaned at the beginning of the heating season and about once a month during periods of continuous use. To check the filter, take it out and hold it up to the light. If it looks clogged, replace it with a new filter of the same type and size regardless of the length of time it has been used."

Replacing your filter is so important to the running and efficiency of your furnace. Sometimes we get called out for service and the unit is not turning on at all, but when the furnace is replaced it works fine. The other site, AAAIQ gives a list of 8 tips to ensure that your furnace is running properly. Here are there first 3 suggestions:

"1. Set your thermostat at your comfort level and then Forget you have one. It takes less energy to heat air 4-5 degrees than it does to heat air 8-10 degrees. 2. Help your furnace to breath easy and work effectively, clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month. 3. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes. "

Utilizing your thermostat is very important also. You aren't going to get the savings monetarily or energy-wise if you are turning the thermostat on and off. So many people have higher bills than they need to because they are unsure about using their thermostat. If you need help with your thermostat, there are tutorials and other resources online or you can ask your HVAC company. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!