Why You Need A Heating Tune-Up And What A Tune-Up Entails

Maintenance is important for your furnace whether your furnace is brand new or several years old. This includes an annual heating tune-up that cleans, services, and checks your furnace for safety issues. Here's why you need to have regular heating tune-ups and a look at some things the technician checks:

Regular Tune-Ups Protect Your Furnace And Family

One important reason to have annual service on your furnace is because it's probably a requirement for your warranty to be valid. Regular service also helps prevent problems with parts in the furnace that could cause damage or cause your furnace to break down when it's cold and you need the heat. Also, checking the furnace regularly detects serious problems that could lead to a gas or carbon monoxide leak that could endanger your family's health.

A Heating Tune-Up Involves Cleaning And Checking

Since your furnace pulls in air from your home, dust accumulates on the insides of the unit. The filter keeps a lot of the dust out, but enough still gets inside that it can cause problems if the furnace isn't cleaned regularly. Plus, soot can build up and coat parts like the burner or sensor and cause your furnace to malfunction.

Cleaning is an important aspect of a tune-up, and so is doing a safety inspection. This checks the gas supply lines and the heat exchanger for trouble like cracks and pinhole leaks so repairs can be made if needed to prevent leaking of dangerous gases.

A Tune-Up Catches Worn Parts Before They Break

If your furnace is new, it needs tune-ups to keep it clean and operating efficiently. Tune-ups are even more important as your furnace ages and parts wear down. A technician will spot worn parts and other trouble areas and do repairs before the part has a chance to break down and leave you in the cold. Your furnace may even shut down to protect itself when it isn't working properly, so making sure all the parts are clean and in good shape is important when you're facing a brutally cold winter.

A Tune-Up Involves Testing The Thermostat Too

Much of the work during a service call focuses on the furnace, but the thermostat is checked too. If the thermostat doesn't communicate with the furnace properly, your furnace may not reach the set temperature efficiently. Your furnace might run longer than it needs to or it might shut off too soon. The furnace technician will test the operation of your furnace and check how quickly it reaches the set point. The thermostat is inspected for problems, since something as simple as a loose wire can cause your furnace to malfunction. Once your thermostat has checked out and your furnace has been serviced, the technician tests the furnace for proper cycling and operation. Then, the furnace is ready to keep you warm and comfortable during the coldest months of the year.

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