Getting Used To Your New Furnace: It’s Easy But Still Contains Surprises

A new furnace is wonderful to have after years of dodgy heating that plays havoc with your utility bill. But like all upgrades that involve getting used to new technology, using a new furnace for the first time (especially when the actual use might be several months after you get the new appliance) has a learning curve. New furnaces are still easy to use, but you should be aware of a few things that can surprise homeowners.

Filters, Filters, Filters

You're getting a new furnace, not an invincible heating fortress. You'll find that the filters on the new furnace need to be changed regularly just like with every other furnace. You'd think this would be a given, but it's such an easy thing to put off that several months will have flown by before you realize it. It's a new furnace; you're busy. It will be OK if the new filter doesn't go in for another week, right? And then that excuse happens every week. Keep a supply of extra filters at home and change the filter on a specific day each month, like the first.

Start Slowly

The new furnace is going to be way more efficient than your old one, and that can lead to some temperature issues as your house suddenly seems too warm or too unevenly heated. What's likely happening, assuming the furnace and thermostat are working properly, is that the new furnace's heating power is running up against your old habits that made the old furnace something you could live with. Don't turn the thermostat up too high at first; get used to how well the furnace heats before trying to make it hotter. Also, check the vents to be sure all are open.

Watch out for Odors

If you get a new furnace at the end of spring and don't use it until fall, you're going to get dust settling on the furnace, and that dust will burn off when you turn the furnace on. This is a smell common to most furnaces that have laid dormant for a while. However, it can be a surprise to owners of new furnaces simply because they weren't expecting it to happen with the new furnace, too. But there are other smells you may experience. New gas furnaces can let off a gas smell if they haven't been inspected and have developed a small leak, say, in a defective connection. Always have gas furnaces inspected by your gas company before turning them on in fall.

Also, even new furnaces that were properly installed can be defective because of a factory issue. If you smell chemicals, formaldehyde, or anything other than that slight dusty burning smell for a minute or so after turning the heater on for the first time, contact a heater repair company immediately.

For more information, contact a company like Any Season Heating & Air Conditioning.


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