How to maintain your natural gas appliances

Your appliances need regular care

Buying an appliance can be a big investment. To get the most for your money, your natural gas appliances need regular maintenance and care. To keep your appliances operating safely and efficiently, you should schedule inspections on a regular basis and keep them clean and free of hazards. Natural gas lines and appliances should never be tampered with, hung on, or used for any purpose other than their intended use.

Pilot lights

Some older natural gas appliances could have pilot lights that stay on all the time, while new high-efficiency natural gas furnaces do not have pilot lights. If your pilot light goes out, it could be a sign that your appliance needs to be inspected and repaired by a qualified professional.

Maintaining your furnace

There are many tips to keep your furnace in good working order:

• Make sure your heating system is kept clean and properly vented
• Clean or replace your furnace filter regularly according to the manufacturer’s recommendations
• Have your furnace regularly checked and serviced by a qualified professional
• Have your chimney and flue cleaned regularly to remove debris, soot, leaves, etc.

Moving in and out

Before you move into a new property, you should have all natural gas appliances, equipment and connectors checked by a qualified professional. If you’re removing an appliance, like a stove, range or dryer, during your move, you should make sure the natural gas is turned off to the appliance and that the natural gas line is properly capped. A qualified professional would also be able to cap the natural gas lines for you.

Water heater temperature

Be careful when choosing a water heater temperature. Water heaters should be set to operate according to the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid scalding.

Use appliances for their intended purpose

Never use a stove or oven as a source of heat in your home. Ovens are designed to heat food and should only be operated with the door closed.

About your gas appliance connectors

It’s important to have your natural gas appliance connectors checked by a qualified professional. Some older uncoated brass flexible connectors are more susceptible to failure, which could lead to a gas leak if not replaced. Although not all connectors have this flaw, it’s hard to tell which ones do. A qualified professional can identify and fix this issue if it’s found in your home or business. Be sure to replace connectors whenever an appliance is replaced or moved from its location. If you have older natural gas equipment, ask a qualified professional to replace any uncoated brass flexible appliance connectors with new flexible connectors.

Keep flammable materials away from natural gas appliances

Never use or store highly flammable materials in the same room as any natural gas or heat-producing appliances.

These products include gasoline, spray paints, solvents, insecticides, varnish, cleaning products and other pressurized containers.

• Always read the label of any product you think may be flammable
• Never store combustibles such as rags, mops or paper on or near an appliance
• Store all flammable products in approved, non-breakable containers that are tightly closed
• Keep flammable items where children cannot reach them
• Thoroughly clean up any spills
• Warn all family members about the dangers of careless flammable liquid storage