Maintain the Ducted Heating System for Efficient Functioning

A gas ducted heating system adds a level of sophistication and protection from the cold to any kind of home. The flames in the fireplace look very realistic and add a level of beauty to the room. Even with these beautifying factors, it is important for the user to effectively maintain the fireplace. Without maintenance, a gas ducted heating system has the potential to cause more harm to the environment and the residents of the house. 

Some of the important tips for maintaining these fireplaces are-

Maintaining the Chimney

A very important and crucial piece of inspecting a chimney is to ensure that the path from the firebox to the air on the outside is completely clear. Over the course of time, the chimney can get blocked with material like leaves, twigs, bird nests and many more type of items. These items usually obstruct the airflow and cause gases like carbon monoxide to flow back into the house, which is dangerous for respiration.  

Care should be taken to ensure that the chimney should be lined for proper venting. Inspecting a chimney helps in identifying a wide variety of problems in the chimney system. You should check for the oil filter condition yearly and ask professionals to come for cleaning the chimney. The vent grates can be cleaned with soap and warm water to remove all dust and debris. 

Check the outer portion of the chimney

The outer portion of the chimney should be checked as well. If there are cracks in the crown, moisture can seep in and cause a lot of damage to the chimney in the long run. Overall inspection should be carried out to ensure that the damper is open to ensure that the by-product impurities can move out of the premises as early as possible. 

Firebox Cleaning

A qualified professional should be hired to clean the firebox. Some of the steps followed by the professional to clean the firebox are-

• Turning off the gas supply
• Removing the burners from the firebox
• Using a vacuum cleaner to clean the firebox and using a mild detergent to wash and clean the firebox
• Thoroughly checking the blockage in the vents
• Moving the burner back to the original position 
• Double checking that the flame is burning bright and the same amount of warmth is provided to people in the house

In addition to these two primary points, the other factors that need to be kept in mind while cleaning a gas ducted heating system are-

• When propane or a natural gas apparatus is handled, the gas valve should be turned off as part of the safety standards. 
• Fans and blowers should be used to evenly spread the heat that is created by the heating sources.
• The fireplace should be cleaned once a month. This should be strictly followed to ensure that there is no buildup of unwanted impurities.
• In case of any smell in the exchanger, there is a probability of leakage and heat exchange and loss can be the immediate effect. 
• If the gas fireplace contains a blower, it is recommended that it should be manually cleaned. Usually, the fireplaces do not contain a filtering system even though they are placed on furnaces. Dust on the blower blades can result in wear and tear. Also, the dust prevents efficient cooling and can cause it to completely breakdown.

Even though gas burns very cleanly and does not create a huge number of dangerous impurities in the chimney, they can create a lot of other potential problems as discussed above. So, this makes it even more important to hire a professional fireplace technician for maintaining gas ducted heating systems.