If you heat your home with a gas furnace now is the time to make sure it keeps running well so it can keep you and your family warm all winter. Fortunately, there are many things that can be done to ensure the furnace is running well. Below are two of these things so you can get started.

Learn Signs of Trouble

It is important that you learn signs of trouble with the furnace. This way you can contact a professional to repair it, so the problem does not get a lot worse. Some signs to watch out for include:

• See leaking Water: If you notice there is water leaking around the furnace, the condensate line in the furnace is likely clogged up.
• Hear noises: If you hear noises, such as banging or thumping, then there is something wrong with one of the parts inside the furnace.
• Smell gas: if you smell gas coming from the furnace turn it off immediately and contact a furnace repair technician. This is a dangerous problem as if any type of lights or lit matches are close to the gas the furnace will catch on fire.
• Notice air from the vents blowing weakly: Air blowing weakly from the vents could be due to a problem with the fan, worn out belts, or the motor breaking down.

Call a Professional

The most important thing you can do is to contact a professional furnace repair contractor. This is especially true if you notice any of the problems above. The furnace repair contractor will check all parts of the furnace including:

• Thermostat: The thermostat is what keeps the temperature at the right setting.
• Heat exchanger: The heat exchanger is the main part of the furnace. It controls everything and if it goes out the entire furnace will shut down.
• Gas manifold: This is the second most important part of the furnace. This is because the manifold connects the gas valve and the burners. If the connection is broken the furnace will not heat.
• Gas burner: The gas burner is important as it is what heats the air inside the heat exchanger.

If the contractor finds any problems with these parts they may be able to repair them and if not, they can replace these parts.

Talk with the furnace repair service contractor about this information and they can give you many more details, as well as answer any questions you may have.