We love our furnaces during the cold winters here in the St. Louis area, but it’s always a great day when we can finally shut off our heating systems for good until next year. Since that day is quickly approaching, you might be wondering what you need to do to turn off your furnace until next winter. Today we’re going to help you do that by talking about how to shut down your furnace after the heating season!
How to shut down your furnace after the heating season
- Turn off the pilot light. If you have an older system with a standing pilot light, you’ll want to shut off its gas supply. Pilot lights are always lit in anticipation of the next heating cycle, so they consume gas 24/7. Since you won’t need your pilot light during the cooling season, it’s safe to shut it off.
- Turn off the pilot light. If you have an older system with a standing pilot light, you’ll want to shut off its gas supply. Pilot lights are always lit in anticipation of the next heating cycle, so they consume gas 24/7. Since you won’t need your pilot light during the cooling season, it’s safe to shut it off.
- Turn off the pilot light. If you have an older system with a standing pilot light, you’ll want to shut off its gas supply. Pilot lights are always lit in anticipation of the next heating cycle, so they consume gas 24/7. Since you won’t need your pilot light during the cooling season, it’s safe to shut it off.
- Change the filter. Speaking of changing your filter, it’s a good idea to do that when you are shutting off your furnace after the heating season. Your furnace and air conditioner share the same air handler, so if your filter is dirty it will impair the performance of your cooling system when you begin to use it.
- Inspect your air registers. Dirt may have built up around your home’s return and supply registers this winter, so this is a good time to give them a good cleaning so that dirt doesn’t end up on your air handler or cycling throughout your home. In addition, take some time to walk around your home and ensure that all of your air registers are completely open and clear of any obstructions that you might have placed over them sometime during the past few months.
- Make note of how well your system performed. Before this winter is a distant thought in your mind, make note of how well your system performed this heating season. Were your heating bills higher than normal? Did your home stay comfortable all season long? If you noticed any problems, bring them up with your technician during your air conditioner tune-up. If your system is old and you think that this might have been its last useful season, this is a great time to install a new system. It’s typically best to replace your air conditioner and furnace at the same time, so replacing your system now will give you a brand new air conditioner for this summer as well as a new furnace that’s ready to take on the cold next winter.
If you have any questions about how to shut down your furnace for spring, or if you’d like a cooling system serviced or installed in your home, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your St. Charles, MO, air conditioning contractor We provide services all over the St. Louis area, including towns like Dardenne Prairie, Des Peres and Frontenac, MO.
photo credit: fortrucker via photopin (license)
