FALL INSPECTION CHECKLIST (part 3)

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The heating system:

Home heating is one of the largest consumers of energy in many families budget. Making sure everything is working properly can go a long way toward making it as efficient as possible. Now is the time to have the fall service done to avoid potential problems in the middle of winter.

Physically examine the heating system components.

• The flue:
• Look at the metal pipe and observe any corrosion or exterior staining.  This could be signs of improper installation. The combustion products, from gas especially, contain a lot of moisture.  If the flue pipe is in a cold area, this moisture will condense and run back down the pipe causing corrosion and white stains on the exterior of the pipe. it is currently against most codes to vent a gas appliance into an unlined masonry flue for this reason. The condensed moisture on the inside of a cold masonry chimney becomes very acidic and will deteriorate the mortar and the bricks.
• The Furnace:
• Look at the exterior of the furnace itself. observe any corrosion, especially around the area of where the flue connects.
• Look for signs of scorching or sooting that may indicate improper combustion.
• Take the front panel off the furnace and look inside the firebox.  Start with the furnace off and without the main burner running. Turn up the thermostat and watch the furnace burner light. Observe the flame pattern and color.  The flame should be a nice even blue with little or no yellow or orange flames. After a while, the blower should come on.  Watch the flames when it does. They should remain burning pretty much straight up.  If they start to waver around or start leaning to one side, shut the unit down and call the repair man. It is likely that the heat exchanger is cracked and the system could be introducing carbon monoxide into the living spaces.  This is VERY bad and potentially life threatening.
• Heating Ducts:
• If you have a forced air system (as opposed to a gravity furnace) there will be large pipes, called ducts, to distribute the warm air to the various rooms. These can be metal, fiberglass or plastic wrapped flexible ducts.  If these are damaged and in disrepair, they will be leaking a lot of heated air into places that they shouldn’t. This costs you money if these places are the normally unheated spaces like attics and basements or crawl spaces. Look at all the visible duct work and pay special attention to any joints or junctions.  Look for signs of dark staining that indicate air is blowing out of these areas. Even fiberglass wrapped metal ducts will show this staining.  Ductwork often gets damage by maintenance people crawling around in attics or crawlspaces to do their work. Plumbers, the cable guy, pest control people and even animals can damage the ductwork.
• Registers and vents:
• Observe the heating outlets in each room. Are they properly fastened to the walls and the ductwork? Look for a pattern of dark staining on the walls around the registers. This can tell you that the filter is either missing or has collapsed from lack of maintenance and is allowing the dust to be carried all throughout the house with the warm air.

Next time, The electrical system.