Your home oil furnace is one of your most important appliances, and keeping it functioning properly is essential to your comfort and safety. While most home furnace maintenance should be performed by a licensed professional, there are some things you can do to make sure your unit works correctly between services. The oil heating experts at Best Oil, located in Waterbury, CT, explain how homeowners can check the integrity of their home furnaces with a few simple tasks.

Here’s what you can do on your own when checking your home oil furnace:

• Look For Warning Signs: Inspect the area around your furnace for soot, which could indicate that it’s burning something other than oil. Also, look at the chimney while the burner is on. Black smoke can indicate that the oil is not burning completely or that there is an impurity preventing it from burning cleanly.
• Listen To Your Furnace: As components expand and contract and motors turn on and off, furnaces naturally make noise as a part of normal operation. But if you hear any excessive noises like vibrating or rattling coming from your furnace, it is probably safest to call a licensed technician as it could be a sign of a more serious problem.
• Keep Your Furnace Clean & Dust-Free: Dusting and vacuuming your home furnace and the surrounding area will ensure no burned dust particles or allergens circulate throughout your home. Make sure the unit is turned off and cooled down before servicing, as well as checking that the gas is off as well.
• Check The Air Filter: Change the air filter on your home oil furnace according to the manufacturer’s specifications. If you have pets or live in an area where airborne pollution is high, you should check the filter more frequently.

Keeping your home oil furnace clean and observing its performance will ensure it runs smoothly in between services. However, there is no substitute for setting up a furnace cleaning and maintenance program with a professional. To find out more about their services and what’s made them Waterbury’s leading oil heating experts since 1936, call Best Oil at (203) 574-4050 or visit them online. For four generations, they have provided the quality service, timely deliveries, and a variety of discounts for all of your heating and cooling needs.