Are there any "first steps" I need to take when turning my central heating on for the first time in 9 months?

Question

ie) any preliminary checks such as filter changes, unit inspections., etc.

Answer 1

your furnace needs to be inspected and cleaned every year before it is turned on, best way is to hire someone. you can do the filter change yourself, remember to change the filter once a month. better to get the inspection and cleaning professionally done to avoid problems like Carbon monoxide poisoning

Answer 2

If it's more than 6-7 year old an inspection might be a good idea. when you first run it after many months the heating elements are coated with dust. This dust burns up and smells bad. It also creates a lot of smoke. This can set off your smoke detectors. What I do is open doors and windows and run the heater for a while to get rid of all the smoke. After that it should be OK.

Answer 3

I ain't no expert, but I would do the following for mine.
Check inside the unit for dust and water damage. Vaccum the blower if you can.
Check if the red power light is on. You can turn the electric power off and back on. I think it should blink methodically to indicate a problem. Check the manual for problem code. If the power light is steady, everything is ok.
Check and replace air filter if necessary.
As suggested before, I would open all the windows in the house and turn the fan on first to get some dust out of the furnace and air ducts.

Answer 4

Clean your coils. The dust that accumulates can smoke, burn or even cause a fire. (you'll usually smell the light dust when you first "fire" it up in the winter.) If it has been an extended period of time (more than 5 years) since your last servicing, I would recommend getting the system inspected to ensure efficiency, proper function, and safety.

- J

Answer 5

Call your local gas company. They will inspect it at no charge and light your pilot light for you if it's gas. You should also change your filter you can pick one up at home depo for under $5 normally.

Answer 6

Change filter. It's also better to have duct cleaning service every 2 years