Heat pumps are becoming more popular. Still, furnaces remain the top heating choice in Canada. After all, they can perform efficiently even in extremely cold weather. A working furnace can keep your house warm, even when the wind chill drops below zero degrees Celsius. When heating your house with a furnace, focus on the safety risks. This includes fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure your furnace works well. This helps keep your home warm and safe. Always check it and take simple steps to avoid risks. Here are some safety tips for furnaces.
Schedule Professional Service Every Year
To keep your furnace safe, have a licensed HVAC technician inspect and tune it up once a year. Ideally, this should occur before the weather starts to become colder. furnace maintenance is crucial for ensuring that all safety sensors and switches work. A technician will make sure exhaust fumes flow directly outside. It also helps stop issues that could make the furnace create too much carbon monoxide. This keeps everyone in the house safe.
A key part of furnace inspection is checking for cracks and holes in the heat exchanger. The hot fumes from the burners rise through the heat exchanger. This makes the metal very hot. Heat radiates from the exchanger. This is how air flowing through the furnace gets warm. The heat exchanger blocks the space between the combustion chamber and the chimney. This keeps the combustion fumes from escaping indoors and vents them outside. Cracks or holes in the exchanger can let fumes escape. This allows them to circulate through the ductwork and into your home.
Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Test Them Monthly
Annual maintenance and inspections reduce the risk of carbon monoxide issues. But you should still have carbon monoxide detectors installed throughout your house. You should have a detector about 5 meters away from your furnace. Also, there should be one detector on every level of your home and one inside or outside of every bedroom. You can install one detector in the hallway if it is 3 to 4 meters from each bedroom door.
Check your carbon monoxide detectors at least once a month. This applies to both battery-powered and hardwired models. Most carbon monoxide detectors last for 5 to 10 years. Some units can have problems. Their sensors may malfunction or fail, which means they won’t work. Testing every unit also ensures that the batteries aren’t dead. Hardwired units get power from your home’s electrical system. They also have batteries, so they work during a power outage.
Check the Colour of the Furnace Flames Regularly
To prevent carbon monoxide risks, it’s crucial to check the color of the furnace flame. The flames should be bright blue. Yellow, orange, or green streaks in the flames point to the fact that there isn’t the correct mix of oxygen and gas. If there isn’t enough oxygen, the gas doesn’t fully combust. They produce much more carbon monoxide. If the gas valve isn’t set right, too much gas can flow to the burners. If you notice any strange colors in the flames, turn off your furnace. This helps avoid carbon monoxide exposure. Wait for a professional to check it out.
Keep the Area Around the Furnace Clean and Clear
Unless your furnace has a major issue, the risk of it catching on fire is fairly minimal. Most modern furnaces have a flame rollout sensor. This sensor detects flames escaping and shuts down the furnace if it occurs.
Fires from furnaces often happen when flammable items are too close. These items can catch fire easily. Using the heat from your furnace to dry clothes might seem like a good idea. But it can make the clothes too hot and cause them to catch fire. Keep anything that might catch fire at least 1 metre from your furnace. Keep flammable and volatile substances away from furnaces. This includes oil-based paints, paint thinner, varnishes, and acetone. Store them in a separate room. If not, they might heat up to their flash point and catch fire. Clean the area around your furnace. This helps reduce dust and pet hair, lowering the risk of fires.
Watch Out for Loud Noises When the Furnace Turns On
Furnaces turn on in stages. It’s normal to hear certain noises throughout much of the house as your furnace starts up. The first noise you’ll hear is a faint humming as the draft inducer fan starts running. You’ll hear a whooshing sound when the gas flows and the burners light. Then, about 30 to 60 seconds later, the blower will turn on.
What you need to listen for is a loud booming or popping sound when the burners light. This sound shows there was an ignition delay. This means the gas didn’t light up right away. In this situation, gas fills the combustion chamber. Then it ignites, creating a fireball or small explosion.
If this issue routinely occurs, it can result in significant damage to the furnace. The fireball might be so large that it escapes the combustion chamber. This can damage electrical parts and start a fire.
Ignition delays most commonly occur when dust, soot, or rust clogs the burners. Low gas pressure or a failing igniter can also result in the gas not lighting immediately.
Don’t Forget to Change the Air Filter
This last tip helps your furnace heat well, save energy, and last longer. Changing your furnace’s air filter helps prevent overheating. Furnaces have a safety switch that causes them to shut down if the heat exchanger gets too hot. A faulty temperature limit switch may cause the furnace to overheat. This can lead to a fire hazard.
The general rule is to check your filter monthly to see how dirty it is. Replace it every 30 to 90 days. You can tell it’s time to replace a standard pleated filter if it’s turning gray or black. Change the filter once a month if you smoke indoors or have pets. This helps prevent performance and safety issues.
Safety Tips: Difference Between Gas and Electric Furnaces
Gas and electric furnaces both need monitoring, but their safety tips differ. With a gas furnace, you’ll want us to check for carbon monoxide leaks, proper ventilation, and any gas line issues. That’s essential for keeping your family safe. Electric furnaces don’t burn fuel, but they still pose risks. We check for wiring, circuit connections, and heating elements for damage or overheating.
At Armour Home Comfort, we have been providing heating services in Belleville, ON, and the surrounding areas for more than 30 years. As a local, family-owned company, we know how important it is to stay warm during the cold Canuck winter. We have what it takes to keep your furnace working safely and effectively. For all your heating needs, trust us. We take care of preventive maintenance, repairs, and furnace replacement. Contact us at Armour Home Comfort in Belleville today to schedule a furnace tune-up and get it ready for winter.
