It's night time and suddenly you feel cold. You rush to the Furnace and try to turn it on, only to figure out that it ain't turning on. This is a situation common to a number of homeowners who do not get their HVAC systems ready well before the season actually begins. Professionals endorse time and again that turning a system on randomly is such a bad practice. So if you really do not wish to end up in one such situation where you need the system but the system says no to support, consider these prerequisites.

Ready your Furnace for winters

1. Begin with the Thermostat

Summer as well as the moderate temperature after that is over. So begin by switching from cooling to heating settings. Set your Thermostat device a few degrees higher than the usual room temperature. You'd see the system making the changes. In case it does not happen, remove the plate to see the wire connections are fine. In the case the connections are fine but the system still does not turn on, check the Furnace and its fan blower. Beware to not mess with the components. If you don't have any HVAC know-how, avoid any DIYs.

2. Change the Filters 

We highly recommend changing of filters at the end of summer. If you had shut off your Air Conditioner without changing filters, this is the time to do it. Change or clean the filters so that the Furnace could easily blow air.

3. Clean the Heat Exchanger 

Heat exchanger is the component of the Furnace which is responsible for heating the air. Over time dust & debris builds up on it. In addition, the component may sometime get rusted. This could lead to serious consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning. So while preparing the system for winter, the heat exchanger needs to be properly brushed cleaned. It is highly recommended to get this done by a HVAC professional but if you've been watching enough of tutorials, a careful DIY would do. The unit must not be connected to the power when the cleaning is being performed.

4. Clean and lubricate the blower motor 

Here, please note a point; not all blower motors require lubrication. Lubricate the blower motor if the user manual suggests so, else just remove the covering after disconnecting power supply and brush clean the motor.

5. Test electronic igniter switch 

The days are gone when you had to light the pilot with a matchstick in hand. Now the igniters are electric and they ignite as the switch is turned on. Test the igniter to see if its working. If yes, congratulations! If not, give a look to the circuit breaker. Turn it off, then turn back on. No progress? Okay! You must run to an HVAC tech for help.

6. Give a look to the chimneys 

Animals and pests are always on a hunt to find a place to make home. They must have made your chimney their home. So check the chimney and clean if found clogged.

7. Check batteries of CO alarm 

This mistake is often made by homeowners. The CO alarms are not check for battery change needs. The system fails to alarm even when there's a CO leak. So right before the winters, make sure to change the batteries of the CO alarm. Even if they are working, consider changing them with new so that they could be relied on for an entire season.

This winter, be sure not to randomly turn your Furnace on. It's cruel, it's unethical, to wake someone up abruptly from deep sleep. Ain't it? ;)