Finding out how to clean your furnace might seem kinda daunting initially. However, after going through this article, you’ll find out that there wasn’t anything to be afraid of in the first place.
Provided you stick with the instructions, you can always have yourself a clean furnace at no cost.
In looking at how to clean your furnace, we’ll be looking at three different components of the furnace that are usually the culprits when we talk about a dirty furnace.
As for the body/outside of the furnace, taking a damp rag to it should be enough to get it clean. Now, let’s look at the inside.
The Filter
Before you go about removing anything from anywhere, do make sure that your furnace is unplugged from the power source.
And if you have a gas powered furnace, do not forget to turn off the gas. Backup power sources should also be switched off before you start cleaning.
When you’ve ensured that all power sources are turned off, you want to go ahead and pull out the filter.
Some furnaces have an access door for the filter, so you could just open that and pull out the filter. Most furnaces, however, do not have this.
The filter is usually located inside the front of the furnace. So, you’ll have to remove the front panel which might require unscrewing certain screws.
Before we talk about how to clean the furnace, it is important that you know that not all furnaces are the same. Some furnaces are disposable while others are not.
For the disposable kind, once you ascertain that it is dirty, you’ll have to replace it. It is advisable that you take this one to your local hardware store so that you can be sure of getting an exact replacement.
If it isn’t disposable, you’ll need to wash it. You can do this in your kitchen sink with some soap and clean water. After washing, make sure that the filter dries out before you replace it.
The Blower
By the blower/blower assembly, we refer to that unit that kinda houses the fan belt. Now, whether or not your furnace has an access door for the filter, you’ll need to remove the front panel to be able to get to the blower.
Next is to remove the fan. In some furnaces, the fan is attached to the blower using screws.
If this is the case, you know to get you a screwdriver and begin to unscrew because that fan has to be out of the way if you’ll clean the blower properly.
Some other furnaces have the fan attached with wires. You can unplug the wires to get out the fan.
However, it is advisable that you have some sort of formula that helps you remember which wire goes where so that you do not get things mixed up.
Once you’ve got the fan out, the actual cleaning isn’t that big a deal. You could start with taking a dry rag to the blower to dislodge some dirt and dust. After that, vacuum it to get out all the dust and dirt.
Once that is done, you can wash the blower. And you can go about this the same way you did with the non-disposable filter.
However, you might need to do the washing outside as the blower might be too big to fit into your kitchen sink.
Allow the blower to dry out completely before fixing it back in as anything before could be really damaging to the furnace and could even indirectly lead to electrocution if the furnace is electrically powered.
The Heat Exchanger Block
If you haven’t cleaned this in a long time, it will most probably be coated with dust. So, take a brush to it in order to dislodge the dust and then vacuum up the block.
When you’re done with that, you can wash it with a damp rag that has been dipped in detergent.
Make sure that every component washed dries completely before you reassemble the furnace. And that is about it with the entire furnace system.
Consider having some sort of routine for cleaning out your furnace because allowing dust and grime to build up for a long time will impede the working of your furnace.
Your furnace will have to work overtime to be able to heat up your home. And aside the fact that it will be blowing around dust, your furnace working overtime is sure to spike up your heating bills.
Do check out this video to see how to go about the cleaning:
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