I am thrilled to have Chris Monahon of National Home Inspection Service of New England, Inc. back for our Home Inspector’s Corner. Last time, the issue at hand was Confusion About Gutters.  This time we’re talking about getting ready for the heating season, and Chris is highly recommending that we not overlook these required items:

• Have your oil fired heating system serviced by a qualified service company. Oil burner service is not optional. Obtain a service contract from your oil supplier to insure trouble free operation all winter.
• Lubricate the circulating pump on your hot water heating system. Older systems use large red or green pumps and have three ports for oiling: at the motor end and the pump end. A couple of drops of 3-in-1 oil are usually all that’s needed. Some pumps will indicate the drop requirement; these are older systems.
• Bleed air from hot water radiators. (Note: this does not apply to steam systems.) At the top end of your radiators, you will see a small valve. It can be operated with a screwdriver or a bleeder key available from any hardware store. Place a small container (coffee cup?) under the downward pointing nozzle of this valve, ease it open counter-clockwise and let the air escape. When water sputters out, you’re done. This heating water will smell like rust and oil usually; that’s normal. Most of your radiators will not need bleeding but you will have to learn which ones do by testing all of them. I typically find one or two radiators on the upper floors usually contain all the air and need the most bleeding.
• Vacuum electric baseboard heaters to remove dust. These units will smell awful when first turned on for the season due to burning dust. The dust also acts as an insulator and prevents effective heating.
• Remove the grilles on forced air systems and vacuum inside the ducts. Floor registers can be lifted out easily with no tools. But be careful as there are sharp edges inside.

Now onto the subject of furnaces and filters. Furnace filters are designed to prevent foreign objects and dust from clogging or damaging your furnace, and there are a few simple rules:

• Spend more money, and you may see less dust in your air.
• Replace or vacuum your furnace filters every fall – at a bare minimum. You can vacuum a filter a couple of times before it falls apart. And if you have pets and children, once a month may be required but you can check your filters and simply replace as needed. You’ll know by looking if they are due for replacement. At any rate, now is the time so your system will run efficiently and effectively for winter.
• Remember the bottom line: one filter, minimum per furnace, always.
• Get the right size filter, and pleated filters clean the air better. For help finding and replacing the filter, click Instructions to find and replace your filter.  The filter is usually a 1-inch thick cardboard framed disposable filter. Note the size printed on the edge of the filter. Filters are sold in many different sizes*. If your filter does not fit, it is of no use. Your home center has an aisle of furnace filters. I recommend pleated types if you want more dust removed from your air. The cheap blue filters typically sold unpackaged will do nothing for your air quality but will protect your furnace.
• Replace the filter cover or tape the opening closed. I do both. I don’t want basement air pulled in to my system; it’s a little musty in my old house. Nothing fancy I use (surprise) old fashioned duct tape. Ugly but effective.

So in sum, here’s the least you should know, and good luck:

• You can vacuum your filter a couple of times before it falls apart.
• The more pets and kids, the more often you need to change the filters.
• 1 filter per furnace, minimum.
• Get the right size!
• Pleated filters clean the air better.

Chris is a second generation, ASHI-certified home inspector, who since 1980 has inspected 15,000 properties all over New England.  A resident of Newton, Chris has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald and numerous other media outlets, and he is available for your questions at chris@monahon.com.

* About 4-inch filters: some newer systems use a 4-inch pleated filter sold under the names “Trion,” “Air-Bear,” “Aprilaire” and some others. I am starting to see these at my Home Depot but not in all sizes. You can order these online by the carton. These filters do a wonderful job of cleaning your air and because they are so wide, they hold more dirt and can be replaced less often.