According to the United States Fire Association, 54,500 heating fires occur in residential homes each year, and heating systems are the #2 cause of house fires following cooking. Start off this winter season right by protecting your home from fires. The devastation that house fires can cause is something that can be prevented. The longer your system goes without proper maintenance, the harder it has to work, and often leads to malfunction in the system.

If your furnace is 10yrs or older: the burners need to be blown out with co2, the heat exchanger needs to be checked for cracks, and any dust or dirt needs to be vacuumed up. The pilot light assembly needs to be blown out to make sure it burns clean and that the pilot flame is positioned correctly on the thermocouple, and on the burner pilot runner. The blower needs to be pulled out and if you have a belt drive blower, the squirrel cage bearings and the motor bearings need to be oiled and checked for cracks. If you have a direct drive blower, the motor bearings need to be oiled. Once the burners are cleaned and the heat exchanger has been checked for cracks, the limit switch will be checked to make sure it’s running properly. This is the most important part of the furnace. It keeps the furnace or boiler from over heating and starting a fire. One of the last things, and just as important as checking the limit switch, is to check the flue pipe. By doing this, we are checking that the flue pipe, or the chimney, hasn’t been blocked by soot or birds. Any unknown blockages could result in a fire.All furnaces should be checked at least once a year. Especially if it is running in an environment that has a lot of dust or animal hair. So be proactive, call Waldron Construction, LLC. and we will take the steps to protect your home and family.