How to Care for Your Gas Equipment

Every gas appliance needs to be maintained and debris-free for your safety. The following are recommended maintenance practices and risk considerations for the most popular gas appliances:

Furnaces. Your gas furnace needs to be inspected and serviced annually. This process entails testing and cleaning the burning elements, examining the ventilation system, and closely examining the heat exchanger for cracks. If routine maintenance isn’t performed on your furnace, you can’t be sure that carbon monoxide isn’t seeping into your house.

Water heaters. To increase the effectiveness and lifespan of any water heater, regardless of the fuel source, it is recommended to have the device inspected and cleaned once a year. But since gas water heaters need to vent outside to lower the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, this is very important.

Gas fireplaces. Gas fireplaces should be installed and inspected by a licensed professional. Annual inspections ought to be carried out. The inspection of the gas unit usually includes cleaning the ports and vents, however it’s possible that your chimney wasn’t serviced. It needs to be scheduled separately if it isn’t covered by the yearly maintenance.

Ovens, Dryers, and Stoves. Most of these appliances don’t require routine expert inspections, even if each one has specific recommended maintenance methods and intervals. To obtain this information, consult your owners’ manuals. But if any of these starts to break, you should cease using them right away and get repairs done. No matter how small the gas leak is, you should immediately leave your home if you are unable to safely close the shut-off valve or leave it open. Give your gas utility company a call as soon as it’s safe to do so.