Tis The Season To Stay Warm! IN BOSTON, MA

Boston winters can bring surprises, including heavy snows and winter storms. Making sure your home is ready for winter before the snow flies is the key to staying comfortable all season long. If you’ve had your furnace or boiler inspected and all is well, here are a few more tips to keep your Boston home heating properly during the winter.

If you have a furnace, change your furnace filters regularly. Most manufacturers recommend changing furnace filters once per month. The furnace filter accumulates dust and other air particles that can reduce the air quality of your home. Changing the furnace filter keeps your home air quality higher, and improves the efficiency of your furnace. You can get reusable filters or paper-based filters. Reusable filters can be washed out and returned to service. Paper filters are used once and discarded.

If your furnace has a belt-driven motor, keep a spare belt handy. Usually, you don’t need special tools or training to replace a broken drive belt. If the belt breaks during the winter, you can quickly replace it and get your furnace back into service without a service call.

For boiler systems, make sure your radiator valves are open and adjusted properly to prevent parts of your home from becoming too hot or too cold. Test the valves to ensure that you can completely open and close them. If a valve is difficult to turn, or just plain stuck, it may need to be replaced.

For boilers, you can also consider installing an outdoor reset control (ORC). This handy little device will help your boiler maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home, and will help you reduce your energy expenditures. An ORC acts like a middleman between your boiler and your thermostat. By keeping track of the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature, the ORC – not the thermostat – decides whether the boiler should fire up or not. When installed, an ORC can help prevent your boiler system from turning on too frequently and making your home uncomfortably warm.

Boston Standard Plumbing can help you with all of your heating and cooling needs. Contact us at (617) 362-0377 and schedule an appointment today!

Categories:
DIY Blog, DIY Heating

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