There's A Chill In The Air ~ Fall Is Near

If you start this week and do just a little more each week, by the time winter finally arrives, you and your home will be ready for anything that mother nature throws your way. Over the course of the next five weeks, I'm going to suggest a simple action plan to help get your home ready for fall. Then, we'll take the month of October to "winterize" and by November, we'll be able to enjoy all the holidays, knowing we are ready.

This week would be a good time to take care of these four items:

1. Make an appointment with your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) company to service the furnace, assuming you didn't do it when you had the A/C tuned up earlier this spring. This is an annual check-up that is well worth the investment. Most companies have a standard list of things they include in the annual inspection; this would be typical for a gas fired furnace:

Limited Blower Cleaning
Clean or Change Filter (customer-supplied or purchased)
Test Safety Controls
Test Temperature Differential
Test Flame Sensor
Oil the Blower & Inducer Motor (as required)
Test Amp Draw to Blower
Rate/Set Furnace Input
Test Amp Draw Inducer
Inspect Flue Pipe
Test Hot Surface Igniter
Clean Burners
Tighten Electrical Connections
Clean & Adjust Pilot Assembly
Clean Exterior
Test Gas Pressure
Brush & Inspect Heat Exchanger
Test for Gas Leaks
Vacuum Burner Compartment

2. Stock up on furnace filters, if your system uses a disposable style. Don't scrimp here; buy a good pleated filter. I use and recommend Camfil Farr 3030 filters, because they seem to give the longest effective life, making them the best value for the dollar.

3. Consider switching out your manual thermostat to a programmable one. Properly used, this returns dramatic savings in energy costs.

4. Remove all flammable materials that may have been placed near the furnace during the course of the summer. Remember, the furnace is a source of ignition; don't give it anything other than it's required fuel source to catch on fire.

Next week, we'll take a look at getting the fireplace ready for the coming heating season.

'Til then, be sure to do what you love and love what you do.

Handyman Bob