Furnace Tuneup Cuts Bills

Question: I am on a fixed income and my heating bills were very high last year. Can I tune up my old gas furnace myself to make it operate more efficiently?

Answer: Even if you are not on a limited budget, it is a good idea to do a simple furnace tuneup each year. Not only will it lower your heating bills, it can also extend the life of your furnace.

A savings of $100 per year is not unreasonable to expect from your tuneup. If you have central air-conditioning, it usually uses the same blower and air handler as your furnace, so the tuneup helps lower cooling costs too.

First, switch off all electric power to the furnace. There is often a circuit breaker dedicated to the heating unit. You should be able to hear that the 24-volt transformer, which powers the thermostat and controls, stops humming when the electric power to the furnace is switched off.

Look for any gas leaks at the fittings. Put a few drops of soapy water (using dishwashing liquid) on all the gas line fittings. Even small leaks will start to form bubbles from the soapy water.

If you have not changed your furnace filter for the last two months, change it and continue to do so at two-month intervals. As a furnace filter gets dirty, it still filters well, actually better, but it creates too much air flow resistance. If air flow is diminished too much, efficiency suffers.

The blower section is the main area that you can clean. There is usually a cover on the side of the furnace that provides access to the blower motor. Use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to remove all the dust from the interior surfaces and from the squirrel cage blower.

If the blower motor has oil cups over the bearings, squirt in just a drop or two of oil. If there is a belt drive, check the tension on the belt. At the proper tension, the center of the belt should flex about half an inch. Tighten or loosen it by adjusting the motor position.

Replace the cover on the side of the furnace and tighten the screws securely. It is important that the cover fit snugly so that no air is sucked in. You want all the air to be drawn in from the return duct.

Check the air inlet opening to the furnace. It should be clean with no soot. Soot deposits indicate incomplete combustion and/or back drafting.

A gas or propane furnace should be checked by a qualified technician every two years for safety as much as for savings. The technician’s equipment can detect existing and potential problems that you cannot find.

Write for (or instantly download https://www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 959, a do-it-yourself gas furnace tuneup guide, 55-point gas furnace trouble-shooting guide and a furnace sizing chart. Please include $3 and a business-sized self-addressed, stamped envelope and mail to James Dulley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244.

Attic Vents Should Stay Open in Winter

Q: I installed additional attic vents last summer to help lower my air-conditioning costs. Now that the hot weather is past, should I cover them to lower my heating bills too?

A: You should have attic ventilation year-round, so do not cover the vents. If you have an adequate level of attic insulation, a cool attic will not cause a significant increase in your heating costs.

In the winter, attic ventilation is needed to remove moisture that migrates up from indoors.

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Dulley has written a new 208-page book, “Earth Friendly Home,” which include buyers’ guides to 460 manufacturers of alternative energy and Y2K products, 21 low-cost conservation projects and 10 landscaping plans. You can order this book directly from James Dulley for $13.95 (includes delivery) with a check payable to James Dulley. Mail to James Dulley, Earth Books, P.O. Box 54987, Cincinnati, OH 45254 or visit https://www.dulley.com/earth.htm.