Furnace Maintenance
Furnace maintenance will extend the life of your furnace and save you money every month on your energy bill, not to mention your furnace will give you worry free service all winter long and you won’t have to worry about Gas leaks or a cracked heat exchanger. That’s the main cause of carbon monoxide poisoning in homes.
We recommend this list of furnace checks, test, and maintenance for your furnace at least once a year. These maintenance items are all important if you want to extend the life of your furnace and save money on your energy bill every month.
If your furnace has an electric motor and fan belt drive we’ll check the condition and tension of the belt. If your furnace has cracks in the belt we’ll replace it.
Furnace filters must be replaced or cleaned on a regular basis, refer to the furnace owner’s manual, usually once a month. This needs to be done because air returns to the furnace’s blower through the air filter to catch dust and clean the air before it circulates through your home.
Furnace filters that aren’t kept cleaned or changed will force your furnace to work harder. You’ll spend more money on energy and wear out your furnace years before its time. Furnace filters that become completely clogged can ruin your furnace.
Clean furnace heat exchanger and blower blades every year. You will also want to make sure metal ductwork is not leaking. To test the ducts for leaks you’ll have to have the furnace blower turned on. If you do find leaks in ducts you can use duct tape to stop the leaks. If possible have the ducts checked by a professional because there are so many areas you can’t reach that an experienced technician can with the right tools.
Replaceable Furnace Filters is a job you can easily do yourself and we’ll give you some tips to make changing your furnace filter easy.
Always turn off the power to your furnace before doing any maintenance to make sure no one gets electrocuted. Especially you!
Most furnaces have a removable panel in front of the furnace blower and you’ll usually see “Filter” clearly marked on the panel. Simply unscrew the screws holding the panel in place to access your filter.
Your furnace filter will slide out along tracks under the furnaces blower. You’ll need to determine if you have a disposable filter that you simply replace or a standard filter you can clean and put back in the furnace. Look on the sides of your furnaces filter to see if it is disposable and for the size on the filter. Now you can buy a new filter and simply replace it and screw the panel back on the blower on your furnace.
Clean the blades on the furnace blowers fan while you’re replacing the filter. Using a vacuum cleaner is the easiest way and you won’t have dirt and debris to clean up after you’re finished.
Furnace gas line leaks: Make sure to close shut off valves to the burners and nozzles every time you inspect your furnace.
Newer furnaces won’t need to be lubricated but if you have an older furnace check the furnace motor to see if there are ports for oiling. You should lubricate your furnace motor at least once a year using non detergent motor oil.
Having your furnace inspected once a year by a qualified furnace service specialist and cleaning your furnace filters once a month is the best way to add years of life to your furnace and eliminate emergency service calls. Please take a moment to look at our Comfort Assurance Plan for your home while you’re here because furnace maintenance is just one of the many services we offer to ensure you don’t have problems during the winter when you need your furnace the most.
Furnace Pilot light assembly: Always keep these clean or your furnace will stop running just when you need it the most.
Furnace burners: don’t let soot collect on the burners, this will make your furnace work much harder and allow dirty air into your home.
Always look for Cracks anywhere on your furnace: Common places for cracks are on the side of the furnace, valves, heat exchangers, and any other movable parts. Make sure you always check for cracks because toxic fumes will escape through cracks and find their way into your home in the ductwork.
Check for Leaks in gas lines on gas furnaces: Always check the nozzles and shut off valve for the burners on your gas furnace and make sure to keep open flames away from your gas furnace.
We recommend this additional list of furnace checks test and maintenance for your furnace at least once a year. These may sound foreign but they’re all important and require special tools and knowledge, so give us a call to help you out. Don’t forget, you’ll get our great warranty in writing.
- Inspect and test furnace voltage once a year
- Inspect and test oil furnace blower motor
- Oil furnace motor once a year
- Clean furnace blower once a year
- Check air flow once a year
- Test furnace ignition system once a year
- Inspect and test furnaces thermostat once a year
- Inspect and test furnace zone controls once a year
- Inspect and test furnace heat exchanger
- Inspect furnace flue pipes
- Inspect and test oil blower motor
- Inspect and test furnace inducer motor capacitor
- Inspect and test furnace evaporator coil
- Inspect, test and Clean furnace gas distributors
- Inspect furnace blower wheel
This furnace maintenance will ensure your furnace heats your home all winter long without the need of emergency furnace repairs.
