Why You Need a Furnace Clean, Check-Up and Tune-Up Every Year

In Twin Cities/ St. Paul area homes, our furnaces sit idle for 7 to 8 months each year

It’s easy to forget about your furnace until some cold weather rolls in and you feel a chill inside your home. When it’s time to switch on the heat and make the chill go away, home owners can get a little nervous. Typically the first time you fire up your furnace you smell something burning that does not smell right. This is dust and dirt that has accumulated in the system being burned off when you first start your furnace. Also if your furnace is older, you can feel insecure about the integrity of your system and whether it will be reliable for the full winter heating season.

 

A furnace clean and check removes dust and dirt

A thorough cleaning removes dirt from all areas in your forced air furnace, increases efficiency and prolongs the life of your equipment. As with any mechanical device with moving parts, dust and dirt accelerate wear. Cleaning the blower and motor removes damaging dirt that can reduce the
life of the fan. Removing dust overall lessens the chance that it will move through your system and cause parts to fail.

 

A clean air filter is important

Your furnace circulates warm air through your home. The air is returned to your furnace and passes through a filter to be heated again. Your technician should inspect your filter, clean or replace it as necessary and advise you on how and when to check the media throughout the heating season.

 

A furnace tune-up makes sure all components are in top working order

Once your equipment is cleaned, a certified technician should review the operation of all parts to ensure they are working efficiently and to manufacturer specifications. The burners need to be adjusted to the correct combustion settings. Moving parts should be lubricated to prevent seizure. Your technician
should review all parts for any wear that could cause a breakdown. Your technician also should make sure that your thermostat is functioning correctly and starting and stopping your furnace correctly.

 

A furnace tune-up delivers peace of mind

A certified technician caring for your heating system drastically reduces the chance of a breakdown happening at the worst time. Your technician should give you a full written report of all components checked and any concerns that were found during the inspection.