How To Clean Your Furnace Pump

Even if you regularly change your air filter, your furnace will need to be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. That is, the filter helps keep the furnace and duct system clean, but it cannot do everything and certain components within your furnace are going to get dirty no matter what. Ultimately, this can cause your furnace to be less efficient and you will see higher utility bills. This article explains the importance of cleaning your furnace pump. This is a simple job, but a little more advanced than air filter replacement.

Opening Up the Furnace Cabinet

While you can clean the furnace filter without opening up the actual furnace, you will need to access the furnace cabinet in order to complete these other maintenance jobs. Opening up a furnace can be a little intimidating because you need to turn off the power and gas to make it safe to work on. Most furnaces have a killswitch that will automatically shut off the power when you remove the excess panel. If not, there will be a clearly marked power switch that you can see us soon as you remove the access panel. What's the power is turned off, you need to also turn off the gas. The gas control knob just needs to be twisted to the off position. At this point, to be extra sure that your system will not power up while you are working on it, you should also make sure your thermostat is turned off.

Cleaning the Furnace Pump

Now that you have safe access to your furnace compartment, you should clean it as thoroughly as possible. Wipe down the sidewalls and all the components to remove all of the dust. You want to remove as much dust as possible, because anything in the compartment can get sucked into the pump. You should focus on cleaning the furnace pump because this is where most dust will collect. If pump is blocked by dust, it will not be very efficient. You can wipe down the pump with a rag, but a hose vacuum will be the most helpful tool for the job. The vacuum will suck out dust within the pump fan.

With a clean furnace pump and a regularly changed air filter, your furnace will function more consistently, and with fewer problems over the years. This simple maintenance job can ultimately save you money by preventing serious, expensive repairs to your AC system.


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