As the days get colder and colder, you really want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to keep up with the furnace maintenance. The last thing you and your family need is to end up being stuck in a house that is quickly starting to freeze. You will want to take a little time to read through the following helpful suggestions.

Check The Tension Belt

You should be able to see the tension belt by simply opening the front cover on the furnace. Look for a looseness to the belt or any fraying or splitting. The idea is to get the tension belt replaced before it becomes completely broken.

Have The Vents And Ductwork Cleaned

The ductwork cleaning is one of those tasks that you will want to leave up to the professionals. A lot of HVAC companies are now offering ductwork cleaning services. Some of them might even offer a promotion at the beginning of the heating season in an attempt to gather more business. You can probably also have them clean the vents in your home, but that is something that is usually easy enough for the average homeowner to do. Simply take a slightly damp rag to the outside of the vents to get any dust buildup.

Replace The Air Filter

It is very important to make sure that you are replacing the air filter in your furnace. How often you will need to replace the air filter will be dependent on how much your HVAC system runs and how big your house is. The more you run the system and the bigger the house is, the more often the air filter will need to be replaced. They should easily slide in and out of the furnace.

Have Your Thermostat Checked

This is something that might only need to be done once a year. Call an HVAC company or contractor about having your thermostat tested and inspected. This way, you will know that you are going to get the proper amount of heat from the furnace and that it is not giving inadequate temperature readings.

Try to make sure that you are completing the previously mentioned furnace maintenance tips each year. A good time to run through such a checklist would be in the late summer before the weather starts to change and it begins to get cold. If you can do it again mid-winter, that would be a good thing. If you are extremely busy or you are worried about tackling such maintenance tasks on your own, there is always the option of calling and scheduling an appointment with an HVAC company or contractor.