Furnace maintenance is important this time of year. (Photo courtesy State Farm)

By RFD Radio Network

Furnace repair people say most of the emergency calls they get on very cold winter days are for problems that could have been prevented with maintenance checkups.

Furnace expert Matt Krewer says a trained person should take a look inside the furnace once in a while. The works inside involve things most people don’t think about. For example, you probably didn’t know water can condense in a furnace.

"Most of the furnaces have condensation traps, those get gummed up," said Krewer. "The flame sensor, make sure it is clear.  Also look for any sags in the flu pipes."

A homeowner can change the air filter and the thermostat batteries to prevent some easily avoided service calls.
Krewer said don’t neglect the little bit of maintenance you yourself can do on the furnace.

"Most of the thermostats now have batteries in them and those need to be changed annually," said Krewer. "A lot of service calls deal with furnace filters that get dirty and they need to be replaced every thirty days."

For everything else, have a trained furnace technician give it a checkup once a year. A flame sensor deep inside might get dusty or a condensation drain could get gummed up.
You might not know anything’s wrong until the furnace won’t start or the carbon monoxide alarms start sounding.