When this summer heat fades, and one can feel the colder winds coming through, nothing is more comforting than walking into a warm and cozy home. Therefore, we can’t neglect the vital systems that achieve this throughout the winter months. Some people only remember the furnace when it breaks down, but doing this will leave you with more costly repairs, including downtime in the cold, if not a complete furnace replacement. If you live in a cold climate and are preparing for winter, you should consider scheduling a furnace tune-up near me as one of the measures to prepare the home for winter and avoid those nasty breakdowns. To residents of Vancouver, WA, a place regarded for its cold, damp weather during winter months, having working heating units is not just a luxury but a necessity. This is why furnace tuning is highly recommended to ensure your warm home and typical energy costs.
Below, we will discuss why routine furnace service is the best investment for experiencing a warm and comfortable winter season without waiting for a breakdown and what is included in professional furnace maintenance services.
What is a Furnace Tune-Up?
A furnace tune-up is a scheduled maintenance visit that ensures your furnace operates correctly and safely before the cold months require heavy usage. Like cars, furnaces should also be serviced to look for minor troubles before they become huge issues.
Every time a furnace tune-up is performed, HVAC technicians follow the sequence of examination, cleaning the components that require cleaning and making adjustments to ensure furnace efficiency is at its peak. A tune-up typically consists of the following procedures:
- Inspection: The technician will check the components of your furnace, such as the heat exchanger, the blower motor, the ignition system, electrical connections, and all major furnace parts, to ensure that every element is functioning.
- Cleaning: It is not usual for the furnace to get dirty, but due to extended operating periods, dust and debris get deposited mainly in places such as the motor and burner, all of which lessen the furnace’s efficiency. Therefore, such parts must be cleaned.
- Getting a New Filter: An unclean air filter can work against the equipment because it may block the airflow and lower efficiency. The technician will check such filters with the inspection.
- Testing Safety Controls: In addition, carbon monoxide detectors, gas pressure regulators, and other safety appliances shall be checked to confirm that they are still working correctly.
- Thermostat Calibration: The technician will ascertain that your thermostat is in proper order and that your home is warmed to the desired temperature.
- Lubrication of Moving Parts: Lathers will be used on moving parts, such as motors and bearings, to reduce wear and tear.
It should then be noted that a furnace tune-up and servicing will ensure safety and appropriate operation at all times.
Benefits of Regular Furnace Tune-Up
Let’s discuss the advantages of regular furnace servicing and the reasons for maintaining your system correctly. Ensuring the safe operation of your furnace:
- Reduced Use of Electricity
Most of the time, a furnace in good condition, though dirty, has much higher energy efficiency than one in a dirty environment and condition. Excess dust and debris in your furnace can cause it to consume more energy to heat your interior. In fact, with a furnace tune-up, your technician will service various parts to remove dirt, thus enhancing airflow and operations.
Such energy efficiency will reduce users’ energy bills, which can be high during peak times of the colder months. This is particularly true for colder places like Vancouver, WA, where all heating systems and contraptions work during winter.
- Extended Furnace Lifespan
A furnace is no cheap investment; one would want it to serve them for many years. Scheduled servicing minimizes the wear and tear of vital furnace parts to extend the unit lifespan. When the homeowner neglects to have their furnace tuned up periodically, the furnace may develop some problems, leading to breakdowns, which will require repairs or the need to replace the entire furnace for the homeowner sooner than he or she anticipated.
Thus, by having a furnace tuned up at least once a year, you’re postponing the time you must spend on a system replacement. The average life span of a house furnace is about fifteen to twenty years, but only if they are taken care of.
- Prevention of Major Breakdowns
When you have a local technician tune up your furnace, you do your best to prevent major breakdowns. When you don’t, it makes matters worse. Periodic tune-ups prevent such minor problems from developing into ugly disaster emergency breakdowns.
For instance, during a furnace check-up, your technician may find any problems or wear and tear that can lead to a breakdown. These defects, if not acted upon in good time, could result in the furnace’s breakdown. In other words, you will not only avoid emergency repair calls but also have heat when you need it without interruptions.
- Increased Security
We all know that safety measures should always come first for your furnace. Gas furnaces, particularly gas-powered ones, can cause safety hazards if not kept in good condition. Leakages can happen because of busted gas connections or split heat exchangers, which lead to deadly carbon monoxide gases that have no smell.
As part of their duties during a furnace maintenance visit, the technician will check your furnace’s gas pressure, the system’s safety controls, and the heat exchanger to ensure that your furnace is not operating dangerously. This assurance is especially important during the cold seasons when the furnace has to be on for many hours at a time.
Signs You Need a Furnace Tune-Up
If you notice any of the following, it’s time to call a professional:
- Heavy Noises: Persistent banging, clanking, or squealing noise from your furnace is abnormal. Instead, it is an indication of something being amiss. A whiff of such sounds could point out problems with the blower motor, motor fan belts, and other miscellaneous parts.
- Temperature Fluctuation: You may complain about suffocating heat in three rooms but feel frost in another. This is a red flag to your furnace that it is having a hard time pumping out enough heat.
- Higher Energy Bills: An unexpected surge in your utility payment, especially for heating during winter, without a correlating increase in usage could mean your furnace is inefficient and needs repair.
- The furnace is over a year old: If it has been more than a year since the last tune-up, this is the time to book one. Regular maintenance ensures your system can withstand the winter.
- Frequent Cycling: If your furnace keeps switching on and off several times in a short time period, it could be due to a defective thermostat or other internal complications. A tune-up can solve this.
All In All
Prolonged neglect of your furnace to the point where it has broken down is not a good idea. Schedule a furnace tune-up today with Sub Zero! A well-maintained furnace will run all winter long safely, efficiently, and dependable. Don’t wait and get caught in the cold this winter when you can plan ahead with a tune-up that ensures you and your family’s comfort.
