Annual Furnace Maintenance is Essential
Is your furnace in good working order? With winter on its way, it’s prime time to have your annual HVAC inspection and maintenance performed. Take care to avoid companies that offer “quick & cheap” furnace inspections, though – a poorly done inspection can end up costing you more money in the long run!
That’s why we go the extra mile to provide a thoughtful and thorough inspection. Take a look at what we put on our furnace HVAC inspection checklist!
Test your Thermostat
Your thermostat is an important hub for your heating and cooling systems, and ensuring it’s working properly is essential to any inspection. We’ll make sure it’s programmed to operate correctly with your HVAC system and take an internal look to check the wiring.
Evaluate Electrical Components
Also integral to our inspection process for electric furnaces is opening up the cabinet to observe and test all low-voltage wiring and circuits.
Most importantly, we’ll be testing the safety features. If any of these aren’t working properly, it puts you at risk of your furnace being damaged or even putting your family in harm’s way. For example, we’ll inspect the high-limit switch, which shuts your furnace off when it begins to overheat.
We’ll give the furnace cabinet a wipe-down, too, to help prevent any dirt or grime from getting into the cabinet and building up internally.
Inspect Blower Fan
The blower fan motor is responsible for circulating air through your HVAC system and ductwork. Your heat exchanger relies on the air it circulates to help keep it cool, so when it’s not working properly, the exchanger is at risk of overheating.
It doesn’t take much to drastically reduce a blower fan’s efficiency either. As little as 1/10th of an inch of dust buildup can drastically affect it, making it circulate less air and working harder to do it. You’ll notice the difference in performance when the utility bills come in too!
During our furnace inspection, we’ll test and inspect the blower assembly and evaluate its cleanliness and efficiency. We do this by visually inspecting the blower fan and measuring the amperage and voltage of the motor.
Assess Ignition
We’ll assess the components of your ignition system for cleanliness and efficiency. That means we’ll inspect the burner compartment, the igniter, and the flame sensor. When any of these elements are dirty, it can lead to the furnace pushing cold air or otherwise inconsistent performance.
A dirty flame sensor can even stop your furnace from functioning entirely! These sensors are a critical safety feature that shuts down the furnace if they detect gas but no flames. When they get too dirty, they’re unable to detect flames at all, shutting your system down unnecessarily.
Inspect Exhaust Venting & Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger in your furnace transfers heat from your ignition to the outside, where your blower motor will circulate it around your home. Because they can also be used for cooling, the process of expanding and contracting can cause them to crack.
When this happens, the heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide throughout your home! That’s why we carefully inspect it for any cracks, holes, or other corrosion.
Exhaust vents and flue pipes are responsible for redirecting dangerous byproducts outside, so there’s no buildup indoors. Like the heat exchanger, cracks in these also leak carbon monoxide into your home.
Gas & CO Testing
Even if our inspection doesn’t turn up any potential leak issues, we’ll inspect your system’s gas lines and valves, as well as test your system for carbon monoxide and other potential leaks for assurance.
Other Tests and Inspections
In the interest of being thorough, we’ll also inspect for any combustible materials around the furnace. While modern furnaces have all manner of safety features to prevent serious accidents from happening, they’re as liable as any other component to fail.
In addition, we’ll replace your 1” filter too. 1” Filters should be replaced every one to three months, but we find that this important HVAC maintenance task often gets forgotten despite the integral role it plays. When your air filter gets too clogged, the performance of your entire HVAC system is put at risk.
HVAC Inspection: Avoid Costly HVAC Repair or Replacement
When was the last time you had this important HVAC inspection done?
If you want to make your furnace last as long as you can to avoid expensive repairs or replacements, annual maintenance and inspection can make all the difference.
If you’re ready for a furnace inspection, you can schedule one online with us here!