How to Prepare Your Furnace for Cold Weather

Don’t wait until the first cold day to turn on your furnace – only to discover that it isn’t working. Before colder weather arrives, you need to ensure your furnace is functional, safe to use, and energy efficient. With a bit of planning and care, you can be confident that your home and family will stay warm – no matter what Mother Nature throws at us this year!

Here are five steps you can take in the fall to save money and prepare your heating unit for the colder months.

1. Schedule a Furnace Tune-Up

Maintenance is the most important step to ensure reliable, efficient, and safe heating this winter. Contact your trusted HVAC company soon to schedule a heating system tune-up. Furnaces require service once a year and heat pumps twice a year – in the fall for heating and in the spring for cooling.

• Professional maintenance will detect and correct any malfunctions before they lead to a system breakdown. When caught early, you can resolve most issues with simple and more affordable repairs. But when issues are undetected, and homeowners continue running their heating systems, more extensive and costly damage may occur.
• Maintenance helps your furnace and heat pump last longer. With simple annual maintenance tune-ups, you’ll get more years of service from your furnace and avoid expensive repairs.  
• Professional maintenance will repair any wear and tear damage and resolve minor flaws, so your heating system runs efficiently.

At Malek Heating and Air, we offer a Total Protection Plan, so our customers can maintain their biggest home components year-round – HVAC system, plumbing, and electrical. Regular maintenance and tune-ups save you money on costly repairs and provide peace of mind. Our Total Protection Plan also comes with front-of-the-line service and no diagnostic fees – even on weekends and holidays.

2. Replace Your Air Filters

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, replacing your air filters is the most important maintenance task to ensure the efficiency of your heating and cooling system – and the change in seasons is the perfect time to replace your indoor air filters.

Air filters protect HVAC systems from dust, dirt, and debris that damage fragile internal components and make them less efficient. A filter full of contaminants doesn’t allow proper airflow through the furnace, so the unit consumes more energy as it works harder to move air. This can also cause equipment to overheat, which can damage components and require costly repairs.

3. Clean Your Ducts

Holes and debris in your ductwork can cause your heating system to work harder than it should to heat your home. Fall is the perfect time to schedule maintenance with a trusted HVAC contractor like Malek Heating and Air. We’ll test for duct leakage and make repairs, so your unit performs efficiently. 

4. Remove Clutter Around Your Outdoor HVAC Equipment

Clean off the unit’s exterior, and remove any leaves, grass clippings, and other debris – including plants or weeds growing around it. Trim bushes and trees to remove dead branches that could fall on and damage the unit during a winter storm. Also, clean any gutters above the unit to prevent water from dripping down and potentially icing over.

5. Test Your Furnace – and Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Make sure your furnace is working before the first cold day hits! Turn your heating unit on for a pre-test and listen for abnormal sounds like rattling or banging. Also, check your thermostat to ensure the heating unit is working correctly and each room is heated to the desired temperature. If the furnace fails to turn on or you notice performance issues, contact us immediately to have one of our experienced technicians evaluate and repair your system.

Also, make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly to keep your family protected. You should test these each month by pressing the testing button on the face of the units. Replace batteries every six months – or immediately if they begin to chirp.

Get Your Heating System Ready for Cold Weather with Malek Heating and Air

Malek Heating and Air helps Central Texas homeowners get their furnaces ready with fast and reliable heating maintenance and repair services. Make sure your heating system is prepared before you need it – whether you need to arrange a tune-up or make repairs, contact us today or schedule an appointment online.