CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's that time of the year again. Temperatures and leaves are falling. The Browns are struggling. And your furnace is probably not ready for the months of heavy lifting ahead.
It's time to have a heating contractor check it out. Now. Before you really need it. What you can do even before making that call is replace the furnace filters.
Dominion East Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio are recommending consumers call for a professional inspection, not only of forced-air furnaces and boilers but of all home gas appliances, including hot water heaters, and gas fireplace logs.
Both utilities also recommend replacing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, or buying detectors immediately if your home does not have them. Many homes have smoke detectors but not monoxide detectors.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and lethal. Called "the invisible killer," CO from consumer products, including generators, furnaces and stoves, kills an average of 150 people annually in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Dominion recommends asking your service technician to:
- Lubricate the blower bearings and blower motor as recommended by the manufacturer;
- Visually inspect all vents, the heat exchanger and filters;
- Check the pilot light if the furnace has one;
- Clean and check the flame sensor on higher-efficiency furnaces with electronic ignition;
- Clean the main burners;
- Clean dust from the blower compartment;
- Test the thermostat to ensure the heating system works as designed;
- Check the safety components on the heating equipment, such as limit controls and pilot safety and pressure switches;
- Check the flue to ensure it is clean and open. Any fuel that does not burn completely can create harmful levels of carbon monoxide. The gas can collect in a home if a fuel-burning appliance is not working or venting properly.
Dominion also recommends that consumers clear the furnace area of any dust or combustible materials.
Columbia's recommendations are similar and include a warning about gas leaks and what to do if you notice that characteristic "rotten egg" smell added to natural gas: