To keep your furnace in tip-top
condition it's important to follow a seasonal maintenance
schedule. You should also inspect the furnace's blower any
time air is moving faster or slower than usual.
Furnace blowers operate with the use of either a
direct-drive motor or an adjustable V-belt and pulley
operation. If your furnace uses a direct-drive motor you
won't have to do any adjusting, although it may require oil
- just check the manufacturer's instructions to find out.
For both furnace types, find the lubrication ports on the
motor - on belt-drive machines you will also have to find
the blower pulley. Before each heating and cooling season
begins, apply a few drops of SAE-10 nondetergent oil into
the ports with an oil can.
Note that when trying to identify oil ports, they should be
at each end of the shaft. Also look for lube points on the
blower fan.
On belt-drive blowers you need to carry out a few more
tasks. Because belt-drive units need the right belt tension
to operate properly, take some time to inspect the belt for
frays, cracks, and other obvious signs of wear. In the event
that you'll need to make a replacement, it may be a good
idea to store a spare belt at home. To change the speed of a
belt-drive motor if necessary, consider using an adjustable
motor pulley to loosen a setscrew and adjust the distance
between pulley faces.
The last step involves ensuring the belt is loose enough
without falling off - a depression of about 1 inch is ideal.
Finally, check that all mounting bolts are tight.
In addition to seasonal maintenance, for forced heating and
cooling systems it's necessary to change the filters once a
month. This type of furnace blows up a lot of dust and dirt,
which is caught by the filter before circulating throughout
your home, so in order to keep the system running
efficiently you must remember to do a filter change
regularly.
Filters are easy to replace - simply remove the filter and
hold it up to the light. If you can see through it a
replacement is not yet needed. Otherwise, discard the used
filter and install a new one in its place. |
