What No One Tells You About Raking Leaves and Your Furnace

The thing about raking leaves, is that, like laundry, it seems endless.  Just when you think you’ve gotten them all up, a gust of wind blows through–covering your yard in a blanket of orange and red again.

Or, perhaps you spent hours raking up a beautiful pile, but then your kids come outside and they just can’t help themselves from cannonballing into it.  Leaves everywhere.

Maybe with a scowl, maybe with a smile, you pick up the rake and start again.

The only solution we have to this problem is to wait until all of the leaves have fallen and then send your kids away for the day.  Sorry, we wish we could be of more help.

Thankfully, we can be a little more helpful with the following leaf problem that nobody tells you about: leaves getting stuck in your furnace’s intake or exhaust pipes.

The Leaf Problem Nobody Tells You About

High efficiency furnaces (90% AFUE or higher) have intake an exhaust pipes located on the side of the house.  Typically made of white PVC, they are often not located too far off the ground.  This is why you need to be careful during the fall months.  Leaves can get blown in by the wind or a leaf blower, or accidentally raked in to these pipes.  When this happens, the furnace may stop working.

If you notice that your high efficiency furnace is not working during the fall, check out these PVC pipes before making a panicked call.  Do you see any leaves?  Clear them away.  After that, if your furnace still isn’t working, it’s a good time to contact a professional.

For more information about keeping your furnace running safely and efficiently, schedule an annual furnace inspection or contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical!

And, if you’ve figured out the secret to only raking your leaves once-please let us know! Happy Fall, y’all.