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A聽regular聽check-up for your furnace聽is about as exciting as it sounds. However, as we approach the聽colder聽months, now is the聽smartest聽time to聽ensure聽your furnace is ready to provide you maximum comfort throughout the聽cold season.

Among the leading ways to聽reduce furnace breakdowns聽and make sure it runs聽efficiently聽is with yearly scheduled聽tune-ups on your furnace. Just like聽all聽mechanical equipment, the聽working life聽of a furnace will be聽extended聽with preventive maintenance, by ensuring that all the elements of the unit are聽running聽efficiently.聽In addition, regular cleanings can help pinpoint聽going concerns聽before they become big problems and you end up聽cashing out for聽emergency rates on a cold winter night.聽Plus, because furnaces burn fuel to聽heat things up, it’s important to聽inspect聽all the various聽parts聽to ensure there aren’t any聽cracks聽or leaks that could impact the safety of your聽family. Taking the time to schedule a tune-up, even聽when it's not making that odd rattling noise you've been ignoring, will save you time, stress, and money throughout the heating season.

Is it true my warranty is voided if I don’t get my furnace serviced?

Most manufacturers’ warranties聽necessitate聽yearly聽HVAC聽maintenance to聽keep聽valid, so聽neglecting聽your tune-ups can聽sometimes聽result in losing your聽heating or AC system聽warranty, which can be major money if your聽system聽does ever聽breakdown聽in the middle of聽a cold snap.聽Make sure you聽get all you can from your warranty by聽ensuring it's聽valid as long as possible with聽yearly聽furnace system tune-ups聽from聽黑料社区 Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing.

What can I do to troubleshoot my furnace before calling a tech for service?

Here are a couple troubleshooting tips we suggest checking out early on in the heating season:

1. Inspect your home’s air filter聽

Air filters聽can easily be聽forgotten, but their importance to your home’s furnace efficiency cannot be overstated.聽Filthy聽air filters can聽mean聽a聽host聽of comfort聽annoyances聽for homeowners, including:

• working
• Restricted airflow
• 尝辞飞别谤听别蹿蹿颈肠颈别苍肠测
• Higher聽energy bills

If you聽take out聽your home’s air filter, hold it up to a light. If you can’t see light coming through it, it’s聽probably聽been a while since your last heating service, and likely time to聽get a new one. If it’s a simple disposable air filter, just聽buy聽a like-size new one. It’s also a good idea to write down the date you installed the new filter, so you know how old it is next time it needs to be聽replaced.聽Read聽the filter packaging to see how long the new air filter is聽intended聽to be used.

2. Double check your thermostat.聽

• One of the聽most basic聽tasks that homeowners can do is聽check聽the聽thermostat.
• Ensure聽it is set to Heat and not Cool, and that the temperature setting is聽greater than聽the current indoor temperature.
• If you can’t remember the last time you聽changed聽your thermostat’s battery, now is the聽perfect聽time to do聽it.
• When first聽switching聽over to your heat setting, turn your thermostat up a few extra degrees to聽make certain聽that it is聽working聽as it should be聽and heating your home’s air.

3. Open up your air vents.聽

There’s a common misconception that you can聽increase your savings聽by shutting the vents (supply registers) in rooms that aren’t being聽occupied. Resist the urge to close聽too many, as doing so can actually increase the pressure in your furnace, making it work harder to heat your home. This can聽lead to聽failed聽blower motors, mold or mildew in your聽ductwork, damage to the compressor, a聽burst聽heat exchanger, and other problems.

• Full inspection. The service should include a full visual and point聽inspection聽to check all the working parts of your furnace and duct system.聽An experienced service technician should be able to identify any concerns or signs of excessive wear during this review.
• Lubrication. Mechanical equipment needs lubrication to聽reduce聽friction between the聽moving聽parts. Your聽furnace聽tune-up should include a complete lubrication.
• Pilot and gas pressure聽regulating. As part of your tune-up,聽adjustments should聽be made to the pilot and gas pressure聽when聽needed to聽return聽these elements to聽the designed聽specifications.
• Filter replacement. A comprehensive furnace tune-up should include a聽standard聽1″ filter replacement with your service.聽Typically,聽furnace filters need to be聽changed聽at least every聽third month, which can聽improve聽efficiency and prevent operational聽glitches.
• Written assessment.聽Professional聽HVAC companies聽always will聽give you their analysis in writing or on the receipt with your tune-up, including their professional maintenance聽suggestions聽for the聽next year. This聽insightful聽information can help you聽figure out聽the current condition of your furnace and聽outline ways to聽lower your energy bills.

聽4.聽Is the Furnace Getting聽Electricity?聽

Shift聽the thermostat to “on” from “auto” to force the fan to聽function. If the fan聽does come聽on, power is working聽correctly, but if it doesn’t, your furnace聽might not be receiving聽power.

5. Is the Furnace Switch聽Working聽Properly?聽

All furnaces have聽a power switch (just like聽a light switch) either on the furnace or聽on a nearby wall. Flip the switch and wait聽a few聽minutes to see if聽it turns the furnace on. Also聽confirm that聽all access panels and doors on the furnace are completely closed.

6. Condensate Drainage聽

High-efficiency furnaces can drain off several gallons of water聽every day. If聽the drain lines aren't clear and open, the furnace will shut down.

7.聽Assess聽Vents for Blockage聽

If聽you have a furnace that聽vents out the side of the house,聽assess the situation to see聽if anything could be blocking the intake or exhaust.聽Confirm聽the聽area聽is clear of聽leaves, animal nests, or snow/ice.

What Should You Expect After a Furnace Tune-Up?

Improved Function聽

Your heating and air conditioning system naturally loses energy efficiency over time. This loss of efficiency is due to聽several reasons, including dust and dirt, natural wear and tear, and buildup in drains or on burners. Keeping your heating system maintained with聽routine聽professional tune-ups can聽help to reduce聽these factors. During your tune-up, your聽HVAC聽technician will clean and check over your聽unit, identifying areas of聽corrosion. They can identify failing parts in need of replacement before they become a聽bigger聽problem. A tune-up alone聽may聽instantly improve energy efficiency by up to 30%. You’ll also enjoy cleaner air and a cleaner聽house聽because your HVAC聽equipment聽will be distributing clean air through a clean air filter. Perhaps one of the聽greatest聽benefits you’ll enjoy following a fall furnace or聽AC tune-up聽is聽decreased聽utility bills.聽An overworked聽HVAC system must work聽more聽to heat and cool your home, while a furnace or air conditioner that has been聽finely聽tuned can take less energy to聽provide exceptional聽indoor comfort. Because your heating system聽operates聽more efficiently, it will deliver superior heating at lower cost than you otherwise may have had聽during the coming months.

A Longer-Lasting HVAC System聽

Your HVAC system is聽a valuable investment聽with a limited lifetime. Depending on use, with聽professional聽maintenance you can expect your furnace and air conditioner to聽perform聽between 8-18 years before you will need to聽install a new one. However, poor maintenance is one of the聽primary聽reasons for聽earlier聽replacement HVAC systems聽before聽end of average life expectancy.

If you’re wondering how much a furnace tune up costs, you can聽relax聽knowing it’s not going to聽cost a limb.聽Sometimes聽we have聽special offers聽in your local area that you can聽take advantage of.

It’s聽better聽to take action now and be prepared than to regret it during the聽coldsnap of the century聽when your furnace聽isn't working. If you would like to learn more about what a furnace tune-up includes, or how it benefits you—give our experts a call at (866) 963-7996 or聽schedule an appointment online.