10 Steps to Prepare Your Home and Furnace for Winter

Generally, getting your furnace ready for winter takes a few hours, and sometimes a call to an HVAC contractor. It involves checking filters, adjusting airflow, decluttering, and testing the full system for faults. 

In this article, we'll cover each step to prepare your home and furnace for winter. We'll include all the steps you can take at home, as well as when it might make more sense to call in an HVAC professional for repairs, replacement, or a tune-up. 

So let’s get going, because I want you to have the most comfortable winter of your life without spending a lot of money.

#1: Check Your Thermostat

Checking your thermostat may seem obvious, right? But with the sophistication of many modern heating and cooling systems, there can be settings and functions that aren’t immediately accessible on modern digital thermostats.

Ideally, your HVAC contractor should have walked you through all the functionality of your thermostat. If not, you may need to refer to the user manual to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.

Beyond just the temperature, you may have zones set up in your home, a humidifier linked to the thermostat, or remote temperature sensors that track temperatures throughout your home. Each of these needs to be configured properly to function well.

#2: Check or Replace Your Furnace Filter

Checking your furnace filter is a step often overlooked that can have a significant impact on your HVAC system. 

What does your filter affect? Your furnace filter affects literally everything in your HVAC system. It affects airflow, how clean (or dirty) your air is, traps viruses and allergens, and helps your equipment run more smoothly when it’s new.

An old or excessively dirty filter can significantly reduce your furnace's performance. An old filter can also have downstream effects, such as leaks in your ductwork, a shorter furnace lifespan, and higher monthly bills. 

Replace your filter when it needs to be. Your system (and wallet) will thank you in the long run. 

#3: Prepare Your Humidifier

This will only apply to some homes, but a humidifier can be a crucial part of your home’s comfort in the wintertime.

Low humidity levels are responsible for dry, cracked skin, increased risk of the flu and other airborne viruses, and feeling colder in your house.

So what should you do to prepare your humidifier? A few things:

• Make sure it’s set to the proper humidity level.

• Ensure that the water line to it is turned on.

• The water panel on a humidifier should be replaced once a year.

A Fire & Ice HVAC technician can help you configure your humidifier, or you can set the levels manually yourself.

RELATED: What Are the Benefits of a Humidifier? Winter Health & Comfort

#4: Set the Dampers in Your Ductwork

A damper in your HVAC ductwork is a valve that controls airflow in your system. 

Some homeowners never touch the dampers in their ductwork, and that can be a safe option. Other times, however, you’ll want to adjust them to target specific areas of the home.

But you have to be careful, or else you'll hurt the airflow and overall comfort of your home.

So why would you want to adjust these? The reasons vary:

• Adjusting for hot and cold spots: Not all rooms heat evenly; adjusting the dampers can help each room feel the same temperature.

• Adjusting for use cases: Some rooms rarely get used in the winter; these don’t need the same attention as common areas.

• Adjusting for parties or events: Some events, like hosting families for the holidays, may require certain rooms to be warmer than usual to accommodate guests.

#5: Clean and Open Heat Registers

Some people cover their registers when they’re not in use. This is fine, but you need to make sure they’re reopened when it’s time to use your HVAC system. Otherwise, it can negatively affect airflow throughout the entire home.

Registers also tend to collect dust and dirt over time, so cleaning around and just inside them can be a good way to avoid dust clouds when you turn on your heating unit.

#6: Declutter the Furnace Area

Show of hands, who has too much junk in their basement? There’s no judgment here. My hand is raised too.

Normally, storing things in our basement is fine. Occasionally, though, we have to make room for our HVAC system. Your furnace is literally breathing in much the same way that your lungs do. There is air more or less being inhaled and exhaled through the ductwork of the system, and the surrounding area needs to be clear in order to allow for this.

So if you’ve gotten in the habit of stacking boxes against the furnace, the best time to clean up is before the first cold front.

#7: Turn on Your Furnace Early

Another often overlooked step is running your furnace early. 

Why? Because it’s better to find out if you’re having any problems early rather than late. Would you rather fix an issue with your furnace in September, or during the first December freeze of the winter?

Some additional items you can check for when you run your furnace:

• Check each register to make sure air is coming out.

• Measure the temperature of the air coming from each vent to make sure you aren’t losing warm air somewhere in the process.

• Listen for any odd noises during startup and operation.

• Check around the base of the unit after it’s run for a while to make sure there are no pools of condensation.

If there are issues, that’s the time to call your HVAC partner. And it will give them more information to diagnose and fix any problems.

#8: Test Your CO Detector

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be deadly, and ignoring your detector can put you and your family at risk. 

Most CO detectors need a quick test and a battery change. But we also recommend replacing your CO detector every 3-5 years. 

Some CO detectors aren’t as accurate after several years, even when they have power. The accuracy of these machines has improved in recent years. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.

RELATED: Carbon Monoxide in Your Home: Risks & Prevention

#9: Check the Pilot Light

Pilot lights are becoming obsolete, but many older systems still have them. And if your system is still running well, there’s no reason to replace it solely because of its age. So it’s important to know what to do if something is wrong with your pilot light.

The area around the light can collect buildup that eventually causes it to stop working. This is actually something homeowners can fix for themselves, but many aren’t prepared to do the work, and that’s ok. A licensed technician can usually fix a malfunctioning pilot light very quickly, and for not much cost.

RELATED: Furnace Pilot Light FAQ: How They Work, How To Fix and Re-Light

#10: Schedule a Furnace Tune-up

This is the last one, but it might also be the most important. The reason is that many of the items above can (and should) be addressed during a furnace tune-up.

Can you fix a pilot light? Sure, but any technician worth their salt can as well.

Can you replace your furnace? Yes, but scheduling it as part of a tune-up can remove the need to remember when and how to do it.

There are also a bunch of tasks homeowners shouldn’t do that are part of any regular HVAC tune-up. The best way to ensure the efficiency and longevity of your equipment is with yearly maintenance.

RELATED: Why Do I Need a Furnace Tune-Up Every Year? Pros of HVAC Maintenance

What Are the Dangers of Not Prepping Your Furnace? 

Your system can run for years without many of the steps above. So why are they so important?

It’s a good question, and the answer lies in the long-term effects on your system.

If you forget to change your filter for two years, for example, your furnace likely won’t break down. But your air will be dirtier. The blower fan will have to work harder to move air through the filter, which will cause strain on the system.

If the filter gets too clogged, it could cause airflow breaks, resulting in no air coming through some of your vents. And you’re paying more for your furnace to work harder.

And that’s just the filter. Imagine if you neglected everything about your system.

The long list of negative side effects looks something like this:

• Increased energy bills

• Hot and cold spots in your home

• Dirty air and increased chance of catching airborne diseases

• Short cycling of the furnace can lead to water leaks and repairs

• Longevity of the entire system, taking the lifespan from 15-20 years down to as few as 8-10.

If you’re in the Columbus, OH area, Fire & Ice can help. Reach out to schedule your furnace tune-up before the first freeze of the season.