Another heating season is right around the corner, so it’s time to schedule a furnace maintenance check. When a licensed HVAC contractor completes an annual checkup on your heating system, you’ll know it’s working safely and efficiently when you flip the switch. Regular maintenance can also extend the equipment’s life span, lower your heating costs and increase your comfort this winter.
What’s Included in a Furnace Maintenance Check
The long list of maintenance tasks performed by a trained and qualified technician should include:
- Checking the wiring and terminals for corrosion, and tightening the electrical connections.
- Examining the gas lines and connections for leaks to keep harmful fumes from escaping.
- Inspecting and cleaning the blower assembly to ensure proper airflow and enhance reliability.
- Lubricating the motor’s moving parts to reduce damaging friction that can shorten its service life.
- Examining the heat exchanger to identify cracks that can allow a deadly carbon monoxide (CO) leak.
- Checking for proper burner combustion and gas pressure to ensure safe operation and optimal efficiency.
- Testing that the correct voltage and current going to the motor to avert overheating and lower the risk of fire.
- Checking the thermostat calibration and the accuracy of the temperature reading.
- Testing that the fan control cycles on and off accurately to maximize heating efficiency.
- Inspecting the flue and ventilation system to ensure that combustion fumes are properly exhausted.
- Checking the function of the safety controls that keep the furnace from overheating.
- Verifying that the start-up cycle is accurate so the furnace starts, operates and then shuts off as expected.
- Inspecting the furnace filter, and changing or cleaning it if needed.
- Examining the thermocouple and replacing it if necessary to eliminate the danger of an explosion.
You can help boost energy efficiency and ensure your comfort and safety by switching the ductwork system dampers to the winter setting, checking the furnace filter every month, and testing your thermostat, smoke detector and CO detector batteries periodically.
To schedule a furnace maintenance check, contact us today at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We’ve been providing expert HVAC services to Northwest Arkansas homeowners since 1968.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Springdale, Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “3Dmask/Shutterstock”