We love our gas heaters because they keep our homes warm. However, for us to continue enjoying the warmth, we need to take good care of them. Regular cleaning and maintenance is part of ensuring our gas heaters continue to perform effectively.
In case you didn’t know, dirt not only hinders smooth operation but also wastes gas and pose safety risks. Therefore, it’s essential to clean your gas heater from time to time, at least every two months, and service it regularly.
Even then, before you embark on cleaning and maintenance, be sure to read the user manual to get to know how to do it in the right way.
Here are tips to help you take care of your gas heater for effective performance.
- Turn Off The Heater When Cleaning – Always turn off your heater and switch off the gas supply whenever you want to clean it. Also, don’t clean it immediately after using it. Let it cool completely.
- Dust The Surfaces Regularly – Dusting is one thing most of us forget. Remember those tiny dust particles may impair the functioning of your gas heater. To avoid getting there, get a clean piece of cloth and dust all the surfaces of your heater. Be sure to do this regularly to keep the dust particles away. Additionally, if your gas heater has a fan, periodically dust it using a damp cloth and vacuum loose dirt.
- Clean The Slots, Holes, and Ports Too – Use a bloPwer or a vacuum cleaner to blow air through these areas.
Doing so ensures you remove the dust particles that cloth can’t reach. While doing this, stand a few inches away to avoid inhaling the dust.
- Use The Instruction Manual To Find Accessible Filters – It’s very dangerous to clean inaccessible filters. Therefore, look out for accessible filters from the user manual and clean them. Let the experts clean up the inaccessible one for you. In some cases, the filters may need replacement rather than cleaning. You can get in touch with a professional to help you determine whether you need to replace your filters.
- Clean The Pilot Light Equipment – To begin with, dislodge the bracket that secures the pilot light equipment and the copper thermocouple. From there, loosen the nuts that hold the pilot gas line and thermocouple, and then put the pilot and the thermocouple on a clean piece of cloth or towel. Take a brush and scrub off any soot stain on the pilot. Also, if you’d like to remove some debris from the tip, you may find an air compressor useful. Do the same to the thermocouple and tighten the nuts appropriately.
- Clean Duct registers – Make use of the hose attachment of your vacuum cleaner to clean the duct registers. They too need to be cleaned.
To sum it up, be sure to inspect your gas heater regularly. If possible, you can let a professional check it once in a while. Have broken parts fixed immediately and your filters replaced if damaged.
For the proper performance of your gas heater, it’s essential to clean and service it regularly.
