Tips on safely turning your furnace on for the first time this season

Tips on safely turning your furnace on for the first time this season

It's it's officially the season for sweaters and pumpkin spice latte's.

We all know it; cold weather will be here in an instant and turning on your furnace isn't as easy as flipping a switch.

Storm team 10's david siple gives us a look at what you should do before heating up your home.

[take pkg outcue: back to you duration:1:59] it's finally fall!

And we have already had overnight low temperatures in the 30s.

That's cold especially if you want to stay warm and comfortable inside.

Here are a few guidelines to follow before you turn up the heat.

So} "just because you flip the switch and it turns on, doesn't mean everything is functioning properly."

V} unfortunately, heating is the second most common way residential fires begin.

Ed utterback with paitson brothers heating and cooling says that heating your home should not be a simple switch to your thermostat.

Dust and other debris within your furnace could catch on fire.

So be sure the area around your furnace and outdoor unit is clean.

Stand u} changing your air filter is important in the winter.

You can see my filter is dark.

Meaning a lot of dust has gathered on the filter itself.

The dirty filter will cause your fan inside your furnace to run harder and can significantly increase your energy bill.

V} gas-powered systems especially should always be maintained safely.

If you smell gas, or if your carbon monoxide detector is going off, "evacuate carbon monoxide detected" then you should immediately leave your home and call 911.

Maintaining your furnace is always important.

And utterback stresses how important keeping it is to keep your furnace running smoothly.

So} "you have your car tuned up on a regular basis.

Your furnace provides comfort year-round.

You should take care of that too.

Have it checked by a professional."

Standu} keeping your furnace clean and ready to go before the cold gets here will save you bills and chills in the future.

So, take those extra steps before making that switch.

Near my furnace, i'm storm team 10's david siple.

Back to you.

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