Maine experts offer important tips for effective home heating maintenance

PORTLAND (WGME) - Annual maintenance of your home's furnace is an important step in ensuring you stay warm this winter.

"The first thing we do is go to the thermostat and make sure the system is working. We'll turn up the thermostat to make sure the boiler comes on and everything is working before we even get our hands on it," said Jason Smith, director of service at Pine State Services.

The next step, if you have one, is to inspect the oil tank and make sure it is working properly.

"We will check the oil tanks for their condition and age. "We'll check the fuel level, clean the filter and change the tank filter," Smith said.

Smith says they will also check the fuel pump to make sure it is providing the proper fuel mix and pressure, and then you can begin cleaning the unit.

However, there are things you can do yourself.

"The easiest thing a homeowner can do proactively to their heating system would be to replace the thermostat battery. This should actually be done once a year, but it is something a homeowner can do themselves to potentially avoid an emergency or "no heat" service call. Smith said.

Heat pumps are becoming increasingly common in Maine.

And there is a very simple step you can take to ensure it works as efficiently as possible.

"The easiest thing a homeowner can do to clean it is to clean the filters located just behind the door every month or so. "There are two filters in this device that we can take out. If you find them a little dusty, we rinse them under the kitchen faucet and then put them back in," Smith said.

No matter what heating system you have in your home, it is important to hire a licensed professional to clean your unit.

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