In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey teaches host Kevin O’Connor about furnaces and why it’s important to maintain them properly.
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Kevin O’Connor gets a primer on furnace maintenance from plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey. Richard first explains to Kevin how a furnace works before explaining the different checkpoints that an HVAC technician would use to check the furnace. After that, Richard shows Kevin the dangerous conditions that can exist if the furnace isn’t serviced by a professional at least once a year.
Where to find it?
Richard emphasizes the importance of a yearly service call for furnaces and AC units and what to expect from technicians when they come.
Richard explains that a proper technician would check all the regular safety devices to make sure they work. That would at least include:
Safety device check – Richard explains what’s on the furnace and how to check them.
Next, Richard explains that they will do a combustion test with a combustion analyzer – this test measures how much fuel is going in and what are the emissions going out. It measures for temperature, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. This test is important because defective furnaces could literally kill you, either through carbon monoxide or through an explosion, and should be tested once a year.
Richard also points out that the air filters should be checked and replaced if necessary. This step should actually happen twice a year, so homeowners should be doing it six months after the service call on their own.
Richard tells Kevin that the last thing a technician should check is the AC coil. They’re just
looking to make sure it’s clean. If the filters are not getting changed regularly, some of that dirt and hair can end up on those little fine coils and prevent the air conditioning from working correctly.
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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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Why is Furnace Maintenance Important? | Ask This Old House
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This Old House: please do a video on Gutter Guards…which ones work, if any. Cost effectiveness etc.
Story time! My Mom had a problem where she could NOT keep plants alive inside her home. She, unrelated to the plants called an HVAC guy who after doing some testing on her mid-70s furnace discovered that it was POURING CO into the house. After getting the furnace replaced she has had zero green thumb issues indoors! My man saved my Mom's life ❤❤
why is bros apple watch backwards lol. does he really like reach around to use the buttons
Important to note that this only applies to gas fired furnaces. Mini splits, heat pumps, and electric heat does not have this problem as long as you use the right filters, change your filters often, and clean your units regularly. There is no CO or NOx gas in a furnace that doesn't burn propane or natural gas.
Richard, Tommy and the others have a level of knowledge and expertise that is extraordinary! We're fortunate to have their explanations and demonstrations to help us better understand plumbing, carpentry, electrical, etc.
What about annual maintenance for a Gas Boiler furnace for Baseboard hot water heat? What maintenance needs to be done for those?!?
In all my years having my furnace cleaned and serviced, I had never seen them checking combustion levels and such. They cleaned the areas with a vacuum and brush and lit the pilot light and that was it, which is why I stopped calling them and started doing it myself. Now, I don't have the tools to check those other levels, so I'll have to get someone to do that. But obviously, I'll have to ask for that specifically, because none of the companies hired ever did it on their own.
I'M CROWNING ! ! !
The problem is that almost all of the service companies are worthless and you're often better off NOT having them touch your furnace or air conditioner.
Uh Oh GAS. My cousin is building a new house in California, they were told they cannot put in any gas appliances or wood stoves.