Old Man Winter is slowly approaching, but it’s not too early to begin planning how to defend your home against his cold, icy blast.

Maintaining your furnace is the first line of defense.

“You need to make sure the filter is maintained and changed regularly. A lot of seal-bearing motors don’t require cleaning or lubrication, but it’s a good idea. We have lots of customers that don’t do that,” said Earl Schurlknight, owner of Edisto Heating and Air Conditioning.

“You’re not moving the air because dirt blocks the flow. It’s killing your efficiency and performance. In my experience, people that have their system checked every year or every other year have them last longer than those that don’t,” Schurlknight said.

He also said, “Make sure indoor and outdoor condenser coils are clean. Unit heaters will have dust on them that can burn and flash out. It’s a real good idea to have them checked and make sure all the gas is burning clean. If it burns unclean, it then gives off smoke and will damage the house.”

And insulation, “will give you a better performance and save you money on your utility bill. The more a house is wrapped, the better. You don’t have any heat loss or heat gain,” Schurlknight said.

Tim Kibodeaux, service manager at the Lenaire Wolfe Co., said the limit switches, fuel pressure and vent systems on gas heaters also need to be checked. Limit switches are safety switches that regulate heater operation.

“You also need to check your duct work to make sure there aren’t any leaks. You don’t want to heat under the house or in the attic. You want to heat the house,” he said.

Also, “If your filter is dirty, numerous problems could happen such as overtemping the heat exchanger on the gas furnace, which could cause premature failure and high head pressure on your heat pump. This could rupture coils and cause compression failure,” said Kibodeaux, who also noted the importance of insulation.

“Make sure your insulation factor is up to par. The R-value is the resistant value of the heat gain or loss. The R-value of the attic is R-30 and R-13 for the walls and in the floor,” Kibodeaux said.

He said the sequences and wiring connections on electric heaters also need to be checked by a certified technician.

“Just do a basic, general check on the furnace, electric heater or heat pump. Making sure you change filters is one of the more important things you can do. For a kerosene heater, I would really try to get it checked by an authorized dealer or service repairman to make sure wicks are up to par,” Kibodeaux said. “You don’t want it to burn too much and get a lot of soot. You could possibly get carbon monoxide in the house.”

Tommy Salley, owner of Master Chimney Sweeps, says people are going back to wood-burning stoves because of the escalating price of gas, electricity and heating oil.

“Firewood is readily available at a reasonable price, and some people cut their own firewood and save extra by doing that. Wood-burning stoves burn very little wood and are a lot safer than the older stoves. Most have glass fronts where you can see the fire burning,” Salley said. He recommended that only dry, seasoned hardwood be burned in a fireplace, rather than pine or trash.

“You get higher efficiency, but the main aspect is the safety feature,” he said.

Having chimneys cleaned and inspected once a year also helps, he said. “Fire safety is the first aspect of having the chimney cleaned, including making sure creosote, or the by-product of wood burning, is removed from the chimney. It’s highly flammable.”

Salley also checks for chimney cracks and makes sure that stove pipes are not too close to combustible substances.

“We also install chimney caps to keep birds and other animals from ... building nests, which are also a fire hazard and cause the chimney not to draw properly. We have a lot of calls for removing squirrels that are trying to find a warm place to spend the winter. You get raccoons and all kinds of critters. We also make sure stove pipes are not rusted or have any holes,” he said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.

You must be logged in to comment.