Do you want your furnace to be able to provide your heating needs for a long time? Typically, furnaces last for about 15 years, but with the right care, you can enjoy yours for as many as 20 years or more.

Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning is a leading heating company in Brooklyn Center MN. We have over forty years of experience helping homeowners ensure their furnaces work at peak efficiency, guaranteeing greater comfort and longer life for their units. In this article, we will give you a few helpful tips to help you get more life out of your system before it officially retires.

Start with the filter.

Keeping your furnace’s filter clean is easily the easiest and least expensive way to make the system last longer. This part keeps dirt, dust, dander, and other particles from getting into the system, specifically the blower fan. If it’s congested, it compromises the airflow throughout the system. As a result, the furnace needs to work twice as hard, which can lead to overheating.

Working harder than it should will minimize the unit’s lifespan. So be sure to change or clean the filter to ease the strain on the system and help extend its life. A rule of thumb is to maintain the filter at least once per month, but if you have house pets or if you’re doing renovation work, you may need to change it more often. Refer to your user’s manual to determine whether you have a reusable or a disposable filter.

Perform a regular visual inspection.

A quick visual inspection before running the furnace is an essential step in determining its preparedness for the season. If you have a gas furnace, be sure that the venting pipe is securely fastened and angled. Also, other tubes, such as the drainage lines that may also serve your other HVAC systems, should be properly attached. You might also want to take this time to smell around the system’s gas line, which is typically a flexible tube. If you detect a rotten egg smell, then it likely has a gas leak. Contact your preferred furnace expert as soon as possible for help.

Boost your home’s insulation.

As much as possible, you would want to keep the heat in your home. Therefore, check for leaks and drafts and determine your home’s insulation quality. If there are even tiny spaces in your home, the heated air can go out and those same openings can let in cold air, which adds strain on the motor, thus shortening its life.

Also, check your windows and ensure they do not let out precious heat. About 25 to 30 percent of the energy used for heating can be due to heat loss and gain through windows, so spend some time sealing them off. If you have old, inefficient windows, you may want to consider replacing them with better-insulated ones.

The United States Department of Energy states that adding winter insulation to a poorly insulated home, or even a new home, can improve its comfort and significantly reduce energy costs. This cost reduction practically pays for the insulation itself in a few years.

Maintain the heat exchanger.

Your heating system includes a heat exchanger, which is responsible for transferring or “exchanging” heat from one place to another. It is a set of tubes or coils that are looped repeatedly through the airflow inside the furnace, engineered to heat the air.

This part needs to be brushed and vacuumed out at least once per year. It is essential to inspect the unit for cracks, which could lead to harmful carbon monoxide leaks into your home.

Run ceiling fans counterclockwise.

To help warm air to better circulate throughout your home, try running the ceiling fans in a counterclockwise direction. Fans distribute heated air to the upper parts of the room, which makes it easier for the furnace to perform its job. This ease translates to lower energy costs and a longer lifespan for your furnace.

Need Help? Call Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning

For best results, schedule annual upkeep for your heating system. A qualified New Hope furnace repair and maintenance professional will give your unit a thorough inspection and make sure it runs as efficiently and safely as possible.