Skip navigation

San Juan County, NM

On Call Every Day But Sunday!

Menu

Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Blog

Tips for Safely Turning On Your Furnace

gas-furnace-burners

You are a savvy homeowner and you are always ready to do what it takes to help save money on energy. You do it all, from making sure your home is tightly sealed to setting your thermostat to a reasonable temperature. You even made sure to completely turn off your gas-burning furnace in spring so that it wasn’t using up fuel throughout the year. Now, however, you need to get your gas furnace back into operation.

Dealing with a fuel source like natural gas may be energy efficient and often more affordable than electricity, but it can also be dangerous. That is why we want to encourage you to be as careful as possible when turning on your furnace heater. To help, we’ve provided some tips below to ensure you go through this process as safely as possible. And, when you need help with your Bloomfield, NM heating system, you can turn to us for services.

Steps For Safely Turning On a Pilot Light

When we discuss turning on a furnace, it usually is going to be a discussion focused on turning on your pilot light. Your pilot light is the part of your furnace that indicates whether or not you have a steady flow of gas entering your heater. Some people will fully shut off their furnace pilot light each year to save on fuel and energy and that is great–the only thing is that, when fall comes back around, you have to turn it back on. Here are some ways to do that safely:

  1. Make sure the area is clear. Debris and dust can cause a lot more problems than we give them credit for. When the time comes to turn your furnace pilot light back on, make sure the area is clear of any major debris that could create a fire hazard. If you dust the area, make sure to do so carefully in order to keep the housing from being harmed.
  2. Find your pilot switch: Look for a switch that displays the settings for “On,” “Pilot,” and “Off.” Make sure that the switch is turned to “Off” to start with. If it was turned to “Pilot” before this, wait at least five minutes before doing anything else to let any possible gas in the area to dissipate.
  3. Re-light the pilot: Turn the switch to the “Pilot” setting, hold down the reset button, and light the pilot light using a long-stemmed lighter, NOT a short match. Once the flame is lit, you can release the Reset button.
  4. When in doubt, call a pro: Have the steps to relight your furnace pilot light is one thing, doing it is another. If you’ve never done this before, or you simply feel uncomfortable going through the relighting process, it is better to reach out to a professional technician to get it done. When we are there, we can also perform an annual maintenance check to ensure your furnace will operate as safely and effectively as possible this season.

Don’t waste your time with the run-around. Give us a call and let us do it right the first time! Reach out to the team at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to learn more.

Comments are closed.