What preparation (for the winter) is required for a gas boiler?
September 22, 2015 1:22 PM Subscribe
What regular maintenance / preparation for the winter is required for a gas fired boiler (forced air)?
Is there a need to call a professional?
I have the plumber guy come every 3-4 years or so to clean out the insides of my boiler. There are very few parts to a boiler but it's not a bad idea to have it cleaned and checked every few years.
I think when the City requires apartment buildings to test their boilers they require an Orsat test but that's not usually needed by homeowners.
posted by littlewater at 8:03 PM on September 22, 2015
I think when the City requires apartment buildings to test their boilers they require an Orsat test but that's not usually needed by homeowners.
posted by littlewater at 8:03 PM on September 22, 2015
Best answer: You have a furnace, btw. (Furaces heat air, boilers heat water).
For furnaces, there should be an air filter. Find it, pull it part way out and take a picture of the orientation and the edge, which should have the size on it.
Go to a hardware store and buy several of those. If you have a somewhat modern thermostat, it will track the total number of hours run and warn you when you need to change it, otherwise change it monthly if you live in a colder climate, less frequently otherwise.
Unless it's a more modern unit with a permanent filter which should alert you when it needs to be cleaned and it should be cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Every few years you can have someone come out and have a look at the furnace. They'll clean out crud that accumulated where it shouldn't, check the igniter, etc.
And by the way - good on you for asking this question. Your furnace runs way more efficiently with a clean filter.
posted by plinth at 2:33 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
For furnaces, there should be an air filter. Find it, pull it part way out and take a picture of the orientation and the edge, which should have the size on it.
Go to a hardware store and buy several of those. If you have a somewhat modern thermostat, it will track the total number of hours run and warn you when you need to change it, otherwise change it monthly if you live in a colder climate, less frequently otherwise.
Unless it's a more modern unit with a permanent filter which should alert you when it needs to be cleaned and it should be cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Every few years you can have someone come out and have a look at the furnace. They'll clean out crud that accumulated where it shouldn't, check the igniter, etc.
And by the way - good on you for asking this question. Your furnace runs way more efficiently with a clean filter.
posted by plinth at 2:33 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Generally, the home level stuff, the answer is always "check the user manual".. Having a gas furnace (not boiler), I've got routine maintenance checklists in mine.
posted by k5.user at 6:47 PM on September 22, 2015