As much as the furnace is an excellent unit and keeps your house warm, it can be a disaster when you don’t put safety measures in place.

How do I make sure my furnace is safe? If you are asking this, you should know that there are plenty of ways to go about it. Some of these ways, as given by furnace service providers, include:

Ensure there is enough ventilation

Since furnaces are powered by electricity or fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane, or oil, it’s vital you ensure that your unit has enough space around it for proper ventilation. This way, you ensure that all the gases exit the house.

You also need to ensure that there is enough space for the repair professional to move around when repairing or maintaining the furnace.

Keep the furnace room clear of dust and debris.

You should clear any stored items in the furnace room, especially around the air intakes and vents. This calls for you to remove any item leaning against the furnace or stored close enough to the appliance that might fall over.

When removing filters from the furnace, don’t leave them lying all over the floor. Instead, dispose of them in a bin or any other place.

Reduce the fire risk

If not properly maintained, the furnace can lead to fires, which, as you can tell, can be problematic. Thankfully, there are several ways you can reduce these incidences from coming about. Some of the things you can do include:

Get rid of any combustible products in the house, including those with low flashpoints, such as paint, gasoline, and paint thinners. Don’t store these items close to the furnace.

Keep the cleaning products away from the furnace. If your furnace is near your laundry area, keep the laundry products as far away from it as much as possible. Keep the products in a separate room to be on the safe side.

For the air-dried laundry, don’t hang the coats, linens, and pieces of clothing near the furnace, as they will restrict airflow, putting the furnace at the risk of overheating.

Keep the furnace room properly lit.

If you visit most homes, you will find the furnace room poorly lit. As much as the room looks cool in its poorly lit condition, it’s dangerous as you can easily trip over things while there.

The service provider also has a hard time servicing the appliance, as they can’t see properly.

To be safe, ensure that your furnace room is properly lit and you can clearly see everything going on inside.

It’s also wise to keep a flashlight in the room with a rechargeable battery that you can easily reach for when you are having a power outage.

Undertake annual tune-ups

At least once a year, have your furnace inspected and cleaned by an experienced HVAC contractor. The inspection aims to ensure that all the parts are in perfect working condition, which means that your unit is running efficiently and has a long lifespan.

When you go for a long time without servicing your appliance, it’s bound to develop a myriad of problems that can lead to serious issues.

During the tune-ups, the furnace tune-up professional will inspect the unit and get rid of all the problems.

Regularly replace the filter.

All furnaces have filters that trap dust and debris before entering the ductwork. Over time they accumulate dirt and debris, significantly reducing the appliance’s performance.

The clogged filters also cause the appliance to overwork, leading to unnecessary strain. If you are using an electric furnace, the increased energy consumption means a higher utility bill at the end of the month.

To avoid this, furnace repair service Long Island providers recommend you make it a habit to inspect and replace the air filters at least once every three months.

If you have pets or are asthmatic, don’t wait for this long—replace the filter every one or two months. This will keep the air in the house clean and fresh.