Natural gas furnaces are the most common type of heating system found in homes throughout the country. The reason they’re so popular is because of the level of heat they can put out and their relatively low cost of operating compared to electric furnaces.

However, gas furnaces can become safety hazards. We don’t want you to panic about your furnace as a significant danger to your household, but it’s important to take a few safety precautions both at the start of winter and through the rest of the season. This will help see that the furnace is in the best condition so you will have few worries regarding it.

• Schedule professional maintenance: If you haven’t already done so, call on professional heating contractors to inspect and tune-up the furnace. This will catch any potential safety problems, such as a cracked exchanger or broken limit switch, and allow for them to be fixed in time. Maintenance will help you in other ways as well: increased energy efficiency, reduced chanced of a breakdown.
• Change/clean the air filter once a month: For every month that a furnace works on a regular basis, remove the air filter and either clean it (permanent filters) or replace it (temporary filters). This will prevent the dangerous trapping of heat inside the furnace cabinet.
• Keep area around the furnace cabinet clear: The exterior of the cabinet will heat up when the furnace is running, so make sure nothing combustible is stored adjacent to it.
• Have CO detectors in your home: Because harmful carbon monoxide gas is colorless and odorless, it’s hard to notice when it starts to build up. Special detectors will alert you when there is an unusual rise in CO levels so you can leave the house. If you already have detectors, test them to see if they need their batteries changed.

Bud Matthews Services offers furnace repairs and maintenance in Durham, NC. We have 24/7 service available.