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A few local tragedies have caused carbon monoxide poisoning to become a big news feature lately. Carbon monoxide problems can occur when a furnace or fireplace is improperly vented. Carbon monoxide can also leak through a crack in the heat exchanger of a furnace. A gas fireplace can develop a carbon monoxide leak as a result of deterioration in the gasket between the glass and the metal burn box.

The problems which lead to carbon monoxide leaks in gas burning equipment can be detected early and corrected during a routine professional inspection. At Ponderosa, we recommend annual inspections for our clients, especially on furnaces. Cracks can develop at anytime during the consistent operation. Without a professional inspection, small cracks can go undetected until they begin to cause a very serious, potentially deadly, problem.

How old is "too old" for a gas fireplace or furnace?

Life expectancy for a furnace is twenty years; a gas fireplace will last longer. The practical lifespan of a furnace is generally dictated by parts availability. When I make repairs on older furnaces, I always mention the cost effectiveness of putting $500.00 in to an outdated unit. New furnaces come with a 5 year part and labor warranty. There are many more safety features to ensure proper and efficient operation. Older furnaces are not necessarily dangerous but dangerous issues may begin to develop over time. Aside from the cost of replacement parts, efficiency is a huge concern with older units.

Today's new furnaces are up to 96% efficient. With energy costs rising, better efficiency can make the replacement of an old furnace even more appealing to cost-conscious consumers.

There are a couple of easy things you can do to be kind to your furnace throughout the cold season in the Colorado High Country.

• Change your furnace filter regularly.
• Keep temperature swings below 10 degrees.

I recommend inspecting/replacing your furnace filter monthly. There are some three-month filters available, but homeowners tend to forget when the three-month filters are due to be changed. Some furnace filters need to be changed more frequently, due to lifestyle issues. Among the factors that may require you to change filters more frequently are pets, dirt roads and older carpeting.

When filters are not replaced regularly, air flow is cut down. Poor air flow causes oveheating which can in turn lead to cracked heat exchangers. In addition, all the crud that gets through the filter builds up on the blower motor and fan insulating them and causing excessive heat buildup shortening the component life.

If you're fairly handy, you could service your own gas fireplace at the start of the season, especially if the fireplace is more of an asthetic feature rather than a heat source. Gas fireplaces require complete annual disassembly and cleaning to keep them operating efficiently.

A handy homeowner could also start his own furnace, but if you want to do it right, you'll need to know how to use a volt/ohmmeter. You'd also want to have access to a Carbon Monoxide analyzer. Before starting your furnace for the season, you'll want to do more than just blow out the fan blades and wiping down the burners.

If you don't clean and service the furnace properly, it would probably be fine for a while; problems may not show up in the beginning. Just like a car, you don't have to change the oil regularly. But if you don't perform some maintenance, it will shorten the life of the equipment overall. With newer furnaces, the safety circuits in particular need to be tested; one is a flame sense circuit. If the flame sensor fouls, the burners don't stay lit and you have no heat. This is the #1 reason I get calls at 3:00 am.

Ideally, furnaces should be professionally inspected and serviced annually. If you take your car to a shop for an oil change every three thousand miles, why wouldn't you have the main heating appliance in your home tuned up before the dangerous cold sets in? The annual inspection and service schedule is also suggested for a gas fireplace, if you rely on it for heat. If it's more of an ambiance type fireplace, we suggest that you have it professionally inspected and serviced every two or three years, depending on usage.

On occasion I have to pull and clean the blower and fan, at the cost of a few hundred dollars, for a homeowner who thought he'd done a pretty good job of cleaning and maintaining his own system. At that point, they sometimes realize that it can be cheaper and more convenient to simply have the furnace professionally serviced at the start of each heating season.