Your Home Heating Checklist
January 13, 2025
It’s the holiday—err, heating season. And if you live in a cooler climate, your HVAC system is hard at work keeping your home comfortable amidst chilly, sometimes frigid, outside temperatures.
But did you know that if your HVAC system isn’t working in tip-top shape, it will go into overdrive trying to heat your home, reducing its efficiency and potentially resulting in higher heating bills?
Follow this home heating checklist to ensure that your HVAC system is working at peak performance to heat your home and keep you and your family comfortable all season long.
1. Make sure all the vents in your home are open.
Closed vents can cause a system to overheat, as it can’t disperse the warm air it produces.
2. If you have a gas furnace, inspect the vent pipes to make sure they are not restricted.
They should be free of debris that might have accumulated over the season, including things like bird nests and leaves.
3. If you have a heat pump, make sure the coil on the outdoor unit is clean.
In heating, the coil is used to absorb heat from the outside air. Dirt on the coil acts like an insulation blanket that prevents the unit from gathering the heat.
4. Make sure the filters are clean.
A dirty filter could limit airflow and cause the indoor unit to overheat.
5. Have a professional conduct preventative maintenance.
Your contractors will inspect all of the parts of your heating system and replace any wear and tear items before they are tasked to heat the home.
6. Put your ceiling fans in reverse rotation.
Changing this airflow will direct warm air from vents in the ceiling down to the occupied space.
7. If your system uses propane or fuel oil, make sure the tanks are filled.
The worst time to run out of fuel is when you need it the most.
Contact a local Rheem Pro Partner® to schedule a HVAC checkup and keep your system working properly today. Find a contractor in your area here: Rheem.com/find-a-pro
