Furnaces & Boilers - Natural Gas Heating Systems

If your home has a natural gas heating system, it is either a forced warm air Furnace with ducts or a Hot Water Boiler with radiators or baseboards.

To keep your heating system working safely and efficiently, have it serviced regularly by a licensed gas technician or heating contractor. If you have a heating insurance plan call the plan's contractor.

Between professional check–ups, use the following checklists to perform regular maintenance.

Forced air furnace checklist

• Turn off the furnace power switch and remove the service panel to the fan compartment. It is located directly below the burner or at the back of the furnace.
• Clean or replace dirty furnace filters.
• Vacuum dust from the fan compartment. If the motor's fan belt looks worn, have it replaced. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for manually oiling the fan motor. Do not oil sealed bearings.
• A high–efficiency furnace may require other maintenance. Check the manufacturer's instructions or ask the installer for details.
• Replace all service panels and turn the furnace back on.
• Always keep the door and panels closed while the furnace is on.

Hot water boiler checklist

• Turn the boiler and pump off.
• Check the boiler water level or the expansion tank to make sure it is filled to the proper level.
• For systems with a circulating pump, open the valves on individual radiators until there is a steady stream of water, then close the valve.
• Lubricate the pump motor using a few drops of number 20 grade oil.
• Make sure there is no furniture in front of radiators to obstruct the flow of heat.
• Clean dust from radiators or convectors.

For more information on Natural Gas, check out the Enbridge website: enbridge.com