Prepare your furnace for the upcoming weather

Tom Hunt with William Henderson has been doing heater tune ups for 14 years.

"The first thing I like to do is make sure everything has a tight seal," said Hunt.

The process takes about an hour. Hunt inspects the many electronic and mechanical elements that must work together if a furnace is to be reliable and more importantly safe.

Hunt said the work should be done once every year, and while a consumer can change filters, a qualified technician should do the rest.

Using a meter Hunt measures carbon monoxide output in the flue to the outside, up to 100 parts per million is allowed. The ultimate goal is to make sure that potentially deadly CO goes only outside.

One concern is that an aging, poorly maintained furnace can develop leaks.

"If you get cracks bad enough when the blower comes on it can push those flue gases directly into your house," said HVAC Technician Tom Hunt.

And having those gasses inside of your home is a bad thing.

"You will start to get nausea, fatigue, headaches and in worse cases, especially sleeping, you can potentially lose your life," said Hunt.

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