Pretty soon the temperatures will start to drop, and we’ll have another cold, harsh Pennsylvania winter – the perfect time, as we all know, for families to gather around the fire and stay inside, warm and toasty!  The experts at McHales, your neighborhood heating specialists, want to be sure you get to enjoy the cozy side of a long winter, which is why we’re writing this blog to remind you to have your furnace maintained this year before a break down happens.  Forward thinking is why we can stay ahead of the curve as a company, and it’s also how you can avoid being left in the cold this winter.  After all, it’s tune-up time!

Before you call the professionals, though, there are some checks that you can do yourself.  We mentioned that on our landing page here, but we’d like to use this space to go a bit more in depth!

• Clean the Furnace

Sometimes, when a furnace is working too hard, it produces soot.  Otherwise, it might just gather dust in your basement.  These dirt and ash particles put your furnace at risk of overheating, since if they get into the system they catch fire and waste valuable fuel.

• Check the Pilot Light

You can check your pilot light by taking the cover panel off of your furnace and looking for the flame.  Exercise caution!  A gas furnace pilot light is blue with just a tinge of yellow at the tip.  If it’s a weak yellow flame, you will need to adjust it (yellow flames are not hot enough to heat the thermocouple) by turning the screw as in the manufacturer’s adjustments.  If it is entirely off, you can relight it by turning the thermostat to 80 degrees, turning the valve knob to “Off” and waiting 5 minutes, and then use a long fire place match to light the pilot itself.

• Clear the Vent Path for Issues

The flue of your furnace is the long metal pipe leading away from it to the wall.  Dents or gaps in this pipe can cause you to lose heat from you ventilation, making for a less effective system.  Check it to make sure that it is complete, then call the professionals if it’s not.

So call to have a licensed professional come out and tune up your furnace, that way you’ll get the most out of what you pay on your utility bill as well as the peace of mind in knowing that your family can ring in the New Year safe and sound.  Don’t keep risking the inconvenience of a break-down, and don’t keep paying exorbitant sums for a wasteful furnace.  Call McHale’s today to fix your furnace problems before they even start!

By McHales