Time to fire up the furnace? Do some basic maintenance first, and you’ll be warmer.
Replace dust filters monthly. I know, I know; it’s easy to forget. Circle the first of each month on the calendar and remember, it only takes a minute.
If you have an electric motor, maintain it as recommended: oil every couple years, replace the belt as necessary and check its alignment.
Here’s a novel use for duct tape: ducts! Get a few rolls and seal all the seams on the ductwork. While you’re at it, use the tape to seal the gap between the ducts and the flooring at every register.
Got a call from someone offering to clean out your ducts? If you decide to go with it, insist they seal all holes they make with plates and duct tape.
You may have dampers on the ductwork at various locations in the basement. These control how much air goes to various heat registers. Begin your adjustments here and fine-tune by adjusting the damper at each register. Ideally, you should have more heat going to lower floors, since heat rises, but depending on your house’s draftiness and insulation, you probably want some pressure upstairs. Experiment till you get the best mix.
And close the dampers on ceiling registers during the winter.
Check your thermostat location. Ideally it should be away from a window or heat register, in an area that’s relatively draft-free. This way it won’t be fooled into turning the furnace on or off prematurely. It’s fairly easy to relocate.
If you have an external humidifier on your furnace, change the pad. These are only intended to last a year or two, and can become unhealthy and inefficient if left longer. Close the humidifier damper to about 1″ to minimize the cold air which bypasses the furnace.