When functioning properly, a gas furnace keeps your home warm and comfortable. However, a poorly maintained or installed furnace can become a source of danger in your home. And as your furnace gets older and works harder, the potential danger grows. That’s why it’s important to schedule an annual furnace safety check or furnace repair appointment and fend off any safety concerns.
Exactly how dangerous are those safety concerns?
Well, fuel burning appliances like gas furnaces naturally produce very low levels of carbon monoxide during the combustion process. But if an appliance like a gas furnace isn’t working correctly, it can output dangerous levels of carbon monoxide through small, invisible cracks in the combustion chamber. As an odorless, colorless byproduct of gas furnaces, carbon monoxide build-up poses a silent, and potentially deadly, threat to homeowners.
As home heating experts, we’ve been catching home carbon monoxide leaks and ensuring furnace safety for over a hundred years. Through our experience, we know that there are steps you can take to ensure the safety of your furnace and protect your family from potential carbon monoxide poisoning. Read on to discover those steps.
3 Steps to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Build-Up
Over 500 people in the United States die every year of carbon monoxide poisoning. Follow the three steps outlined below to save your home and family from potential harm.
1. Schedule Regular Furnace Repairs and Furnace Check-Ups
Since the signs of carbon monoxide contamination are all but impossible for the untrained eye to spot, it’s important that you have a professional inspect all of your fuel-burning appliances at the beginning of every heating season. Your local heating professional will be happy to offer their furnace repair, maintenance, and cleaning services to ensure that your gas furnace is operating at peak performance.
During a cleaning and furnace safety check-up, you can expect your local heating professional to:
- Clean, check, and secure all furnace and water heater components, including the air-to-air exchanger operation, furnace filters, blowers, hoses, surfaces, venting, ducts, drains, thermostat, and more
- Test your carbon monoxide detector
- Replace furnace filters, humidifier pads, air-to-air intake hood, and/or drain hose if necessary*
*Note: Replacement parts will likely be an additional cost if needed.
If you feel up for cleaning and maintaining your own furnace, check out our basics of furnace cleaning or DIY furnace maintenance guides.
2. Hire a Professional to Install Your Furnace
The state of Minnesota requires that only licensed professionals install gas piping for a good reason. Improper gas furnace installation can lead to a lot of problems throughout the life of your furnace, including improper combustion and ventilation that can lead to carbon monoxide contamination, so make sure that you hire an experienced professional to install your furnace.
3. Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Since carbon monoxide is an odorless and invisible gas, carbon monoxide detectors are the best way to be aware of carbon monoxide levels in your home. Install at least two carbon monoxide detectors in your home—one near the room that houses your furnace and the other near your family’s bedrooms.
You’ll also want to make sure that the carbon monoxide detector that you select meets the safety requirements of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or the International Approval Service (IAS). Also keep in mind carbon monoxide detectors need to be replaced every 5 years in order to maintain functionality.
Don’t have carbon monoxide detectors? For a list of highly rated carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, check out Consumer Reports.
Schedule Your Furnace Safety Check
A clean and well-maintained furnace is a safe furnace. At Welter Heating, we offer our furnace cleaning and safety checks for just $99. Contact us to schedule a furnace cleaning and safety check-up to ensure your home is protected.
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These guys were my second call when my furnace stopped working properly. The first company I used sent a tech out who said the furnace needed to be replaced, and gave me a quote, but said he "jiggled a wire" and got it running again for the time being.
When it went out again the other day, I called Ray N. Welter. Their tech, Ralph, fixed the problem in half an hour. He told me the furnace is pretty old, but his fix should get me through the winter "and maybe a couple more," and then gave me a quote that was lower than the first company.
These guys are rad.
Dan J.
Minneapolis, MN
Furnace stopped working. When that happens after hours you learn a lot about companies. Today I called RW and got a person on the phone that knows about furnaces and he dispatched a service person Phil within 2 hours. I called them based on personal refer and reviews. They are excellent. Despite having a very old furnace it was the second time that this company said I did not need to replace. If I did replace it I want a Trane and RW would do to the work. For now I will call them for fall/spring tune ups and love that they don't have the club memberships etc. Just good solid customer service for all customers. A really ++ experience. Family run business with integrity.
Kathleen d.
Minneapolis, MN
If you need superior service this is your company!!! We were in Florida experiencing our first year as "snowbirds" when our furnace (in Bloomington) stopped working. Rick Welter personally took our call and not only sent a technician to our cold home, but checked on it for the next two days until our new heating unit could be properly installed. Phenomenal service!
In addition to the great service, their pricing was very competitive. I highly recommend this company for all of your heating or A/C needs!!!
Michael L.
Minneapolis, MN
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