It is easy to take furnace safety for granted, especially if your unit is hidden in a room that you do not access very often. You do not normally need to think about it unless something goes wrong. While the main concern people have is the heat failing on cold days, there are other hidden dangers when it comes to your furnace.

Here are five tips to keep your furnace safe and protect your family.

Change your filter

A dirty filter reduces your home’s indoor air quality and can make your family sick. They also waste energy by forcing your fan to work harder to push air through it and if ignored long enough, can cause a fire. Your furnace is designed to provide heat at a particular rate, and heat transfer from burners to the air requires a minimum flow. A dirty filter lowers this airflow and can cause the furnace to overheat.

Be sure to regularly change your filter to keep your furnace operating this winter and to keep your family safe.

Clean and maintain your blower

Dirt on your furnace’s fan and motor can cause the unit to overwork and subsequently overheat. As with your filter, a neglected fan can affect your family’s health as well as safety. Yearly tune-ups which, include lubricating the motor, will also reduce the risk of a fire in your furnace.

seasonal tune-up to ensure furnace safety

Keep your furnace room clean

The burners in your furnace need a certain amount of oxygen for complete combustion, otherwise, your furnace can produce carbon monoxide. If you have too much junk in your furnace room, this interferes with air entering the system. Flammable items in your furnace room can also multiply the risk of a fire, giving you more motivation to keep the space clear.

Keep your exhaust clear

Exhaust from your furnace needs to be uninhibited or it affects burner performance. Without proper venting, you risk higher carbon monoxide production and infiltration into your home. With this double danger, keeping your exhaust free from plants and other debris could make the difference between a warm winter and a nightmare filled with carbon monoxide alarms.

Have a professional check your burners and heat exchanger

Anything concerning the burning of fuels should be taken seriously. Poor-performing burners produce higher levels of carbon monoxide. Cracks in your heat exchanger introduce this dangerous air into your home through ductwork. Professional inspection during your seasonal tune-up will uncover early signs of these risks.