DIY Maintenance Tips for Electric and Gas Heating Units

When your HVAC unit falls apart, there is no doubt that you should call upon your local service technician to repair your unit. However, before it gets to that point, why not learn some general DIY tips to help you prevent that from happening in the first place? Of course, any form of maintenance is better than doing nothing, so follow along as we talk about some of the simple DIY tips you can embrace to get more mileage out of your equipment. Also, there is a significant difference between electric and gas appliances, so use this guide as a general guideline, and tweak it to work with the appliances you are performing maintenance on. 

Inspect the Burner Flames

For gas units, one of the first things you need to ensure you check out is the burner flames to see if they are working correctly. For example, you want the burners to be consistent and blue if they work well. If any other flames jump, there might be a problem. Ideally, when inspecting the burner flames, you want to switch on the power and turn up the thermostat. If you see a hint of yellow flames, the burners are dirty, and you need to call in a pro to get the job done. It doesn’t matter if you are having a Trane unit serviced in Canada or a Rinnai gas heater serviced in Sydney, Australia; if the burner needs to be serviced by a professional, get it done! Gas is dangerous, so you need to respect it and the dangers that come with the territory. 

Vacuum the Burner and Blower

You want to vacuum the burners on occasion to ensure you clean off the dirt around the burner. A hose from your vacuum cleaner or a portable hand vac should do the trick. First, you need to switch off the burner to ensure you’re not sucking up flames. Next, take a moment and wipe down the burner top and surrounding areas with a wet rag. Keep the area clean and free of debris. 

Brush the Blower Blades

You need to ensure that every aspect of the unit is clean, and you need to ensure that you brush the blades. Get the right brush for this task so as not to destroy the blades. If you don’t clean the blower well, you may as well have left it alone. Half-clean blower blades will be off-balance, and the unit won’t work as expected. Ensure you reach all the areas and all blades in the cleaning process. 

Clean the Flame Sensor

If you want the unit to flame up correctly, you need to ensure that you clean the flame sensor. If this isn’t cleaned up correctly, the unit may have some difficulties lighting up. When cleaning this area, you need to remove the sensor and clean it thoroughly with a fine cloth. Ensure that all residue that coats it is removed for easy lighting. After, put it back together and test the unit before finishing the job. 

Just Maintain Your Unit

Gas and electrical heating units need proper maintenance to function correctly. You don’t need to call a professional every time you encounter an issue; you can resolve some problems yourself. Use these tips to keep your unit maintained, but call a professional you can DIY the whole system with the above information.