Fall HVAC Maintenance Tips for Minnesota Homeowners

When you live in Minnesota, you need your furnace, heat pump, boiler, or hybrid system to heat up right away and provide dependable comfort. You also need it to be efficient, so you don’t waste fuel or money.

While professional tune-ups are important, you can help protect your system and comfort by performing some practical and easy DIY heating maintenance this fall.

What You Should Do Before You Turn on Your Heating System

Fall is the ideal time to perform heating maintenance because the weather is beginning to cool, but it’s too early to turn on the heat. Even if you forget about maintenance until the last minute, make sure to go through this checklist before turning the system on:

Change Your Air Filter

HVAC intake filters need to be changed monthly whether you’re running heating or air conditioning. Furnace filters last much longer and will need changing every three months at most.

Clear Out Space Around the Unit

Ensure that nothing is too close to your furnace or boiler — it’s a major fire hazard. And don’t just assume it’s clear. You may have put a box down there in summer and forgotten about it.

If you have a heat pump, go outside and clear any dirt, leaves, or branches away from the sides and top of the unit.

Change the Humidifier Water Panel

If you have a whole-home humidifier, change the water panel. Humidifiers combat the dry air caused by running heating systems in winter.

Balanced humidity levels will help you:

• Breathe better
• Stay more comfortable
• Avoid dry skin that’s common in winter

What You Should Do After You Turn On Your Heating System

Once your boiler, furnace, or heat pump is turned on, there are a few more tasks to check off:

Inspect The Burner Flames

If you rely on a boiler or furnace, your pilot light and burner flames should be blue instead of yellow or orange.

The wrong color indicates a combustion problem, and you need a professional to take a look.

Check for Leaks

A furnace or heat pump can leak condensation, which is a sign that you have a clogged condensate drain that needs to be flushed.

A leaking boiler could mean high pressure, broken seals, or corrosion. Whichever system you have, a leak is a clear indication that you need professional heating repair.

Listen for Odd Sounds

If your heating system is rumbling, rattling, banging, or making any other strange noise, it needs to be serviced.

A scraping or screeching sound means that metal is scraping metal. Turn the system off and call a professional. Letting it run could worsen the damage and wear down more components.

Why Do I Need Professional HVAC Maintenance?

Some HVAC maintenance tasks are best left to professionals. Taking on too much puts you at risk of damaging your heating system or hurting yourself.

For example, a technician will check and clean your furnace’s fuel and combustion components. These need to be in good shape to avoid wasting fuel, creating unhealthy air in your home, or starting a fire.

A professional heating maintenance technician will also measure your system’s voltage and current and tighten all electrician connections. Generally, you should never DIY electrical work unless you have experience.

Turn to Genz-Ryan for Fast & Easy Heating Maintenance

At Genz-Ryan Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical, we provide preventative heating maintenance at your convenience to help you:

• Save on utility costs
• Save on repair costs
• Reduce the risk of breakdowns
• Prolong the life span of your system

And our HomePulse Plan Partner program offers additional benefits like preferred pricing and discounts on air filters with free delivery!

We service all brands of HVAC equipment, so whatever you need, we can handle the job! Our technicians are licensed and insured, and if you lose heat when you least expect it, call us for emergency HVAC repair.

For maintenance done right, call Genz-Ryan at (612) 223-6158 or contact us online to schedule an appointment today!