Providing heat for your home is an essential task for making sure that the house is comfortable during the winter months. For new homeowners, maintaining these devices can be rather confusing due to a lack of experience. However, you should be aware that there are a couple of tips that can help you ensure that your home's heating system avoids some common issues while performing at peak efficiency.

Maintain The Control Box To The System

The control box is often a neglected part of the heating system because it may not be very visible. Unfortunately, these units can develop problems due to dust accumulating on and inside them as well as insects and other pests causing physical damages to the wiring. As a result, you should regularly inspect the control box to make sure that it is in good visible condition.

At least once every couple of months, you should visibly inspect the control box, and if you notice dust accumulating, you should use a duster to remove these accumulations. In instances where you notice corrosion or apparent animal damage, you should contact a heating professional to repair the damage to avoid accidentally causing a severe injury to yourself. The location of the control box will vary depending on the design of your home, but you can follow the cables leading out of the heating unit to find this panel.

Clean The Burner

Oil burning furnaces are common in older homes and those in particularly cold climates. While these systems can be extremely effective at warming the house, they require regular care to ensure that they are performing at peak efficiency. A system that is inefficient at burning fuel will not only result in higher energy bills but also increased wear on the system. This occurs because unburned fuel will accumulate around the burner, and this can severely restrict the flow of fuel and air to the system.

Avoiding this type of problem requires you to regularly clean the burner. To do this, you will need to turn off the system and allow it to cool before using a damp cloth or sponge to scrub the burner clean. After you have removed the residue, use a cloth to dry the burner before attempting to start it.

Getting the most from your new home's heating system does not have to be a mysterious or complex task for you to do. Understanding the value of maintaining the control box for the system and keeping the burner clean of residue will make keeping your home warm an easier and more affordable task this coming winter.

For more information, contact a company like R & B Heating & Air Conditioning.