Get Your Heat Ready for Winter: A Checklist for Heat Pumps and Furnaces

The first cold night of the year is when most no-heat calls come in, and plenty of them could have been avoided with a few minutes of prep. Here's a checklist for both heat pumps and gas furnaces, plus what to expect the first time the heat comes on.

Do these before the first cold snap

1. Replace the air filter. A clogged filter is one of the most common reasons a system overheats and shuts itself off.
2. Put fresh batteries in the thermostat, switch it to HEAT, and raise the setting a few degrees to make sure heat comes on.
3. Open supply vents and clear return grilles. Furniture, rugs and curtains over vents choke airflow.
4. Clear the area around the indoor unit. Keep storage, paint and chemicals away from a furnace or air handler.
5. Test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and replace any that are past their expiration date.

Heat pump checklist

• Clear leaves, pine straw and debris from around the outdoor unit, and keep 2 feet of clearance.
• Make sure gutters aren't dripping onto the unit, which can turn into a block of ice in freezing weather.
• Don't cover the outdoor unit for winter. A heat pump runs all year.
• Check that the unit sits level on its pad. A tilted unit can drain poorly and ice up.
• Know where your EMERGENCY HEAT setting is and when to use it: only if the heat pump stops working.

Gas furnace checklist

• Make sure the furnace door or panel is closed securely. Many furnaces won't run with it open.
• Check that outdoor intake and exhaust pipes (on high-efficiency furnaces) are clear of leaves, nests and debris.
• Watch the flame if it's visible: it should be steady and mostly blue. A yellow, flickering flame needs to be checked.
• If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call 911 and your gas company from outside.

What's normal on the first startup

A dusty or slightly burning smell the first time the heat runs is usually dust burning off the heat exchanger or heat strips, and it should fade within an hour. A smell that lingers, or any electrical or burning-plastic smell, means turn the system off and call.

Don't forget the crawlspace

Many homes in our area have ductwork and air handlers in the crawlspace. Check for standing water, torn or fallen duct insulation, and disconnected ducts. Heat lost into a crawlspace is money gone, and moisture down there shortens equipment life.

Schedule a fall tune-up

A professional tune-up checks what you can't: the heat exchanger, burners, flame sensor, gas pressure and carbon monoxide on furnaces, and the defrost controls, backup heat strips and refrigerant charge on heat pumps. Booking before the first cold snap means you're not waiting in line when everyone else's heat goes out.