It may not seem like it, but the act of heating your home causes your furnace to get dirty. Even if you keep a clean house and change the filter regularly, the inside of the furnace can still get dirty. If you're lax about filter changing and housecleaning, your furnace may get dusty and dirty more quickly. Plus, a gas furnace creates soot as a byproduct that coats the ignition area of your furnace. Here's a look at these two environmental threats to your furnace and why regular furnace cleaning is important.

Dust Clogs The Blower Motor And Fan

You know how important it is to change your furnace filter as recommended by your furnace manufacturer. A filter that's clogged with dust creates all kinds of problems due to air restriction. It also allows more dust to flow inside the furnace and accumulate on the blower cage and motor. The blower motor spins the cage fan so air can be blown throughout your home. When these parts are coated in dust, they don't perform optimally, and they may stop working.

When you have an annual tuneup of your furnace, the HVAC technician checks the blower motor and fan to see if they need to be cleaned. If so, they're removed from your furnace and carefully cleaned so there is no dust buildup to cause the motor to overheat and burn out.

Soot Builds Up On The Burners

When gas ignites and heats the air to blow through your furnace, soot is created as a byproduct. The soot gradually accumulates on the burners and ignition area. You might see the black soot when you look in the furnace, and if you notice a yellow flame in the pilot light, that's an indication the area is dirty since the flame should burn clean and be blue. If you see soot in a location other than the ignition area, that could be a sign of a furnace malfunction that needs to be checked by an HVAC technician.

The ignition area is cleaned during an annual maintenance call, so it's important to have furnace cleaning done every year. This keeps your furnace working properly. If the soot gets too thick, the burners may not heat as well and then your house won't get as warm as it should or your furnace may need to run longer and drive up your energy bill. It's also possible the pilot light won't be able to ignite the burners at all if there's too much soot built up in the ignition area.

It's important that you change your furnace filter regularly and keep the area around your furnace free of dust, but when it comes to cleaning the internal parts of your furnace, you can call an HVAC service to do the work. By having your furnace serviced once a year, you won't have to worry about your furnace breaking down due to excess dust or soot in your system.

For more information about furnace cleaning, contact a company like Moore Heating & Air Conditioning Inc.