Every year in Louisville, Kentucky, concerned homeowners encounter issues with their heating systems that leave them shivering in the cold. Whether issues are caused by a general lack of furnace maintenance, heat exchanger cracks, gas pressure problems, or dangerous carbon monoxide leaks, it can be scary to live with a furnace that isn’t operating properly. However, getting your air conditioner ready for hibernation and scheduling a thorough furnace tune-up at the start of winter will help keep your home warm and comfortable throughout the season.
Furnace tune-ups are part of a complete home maintenance plan, lowering energy costs and reducing issues like indoor air quality problems and poor temperature control. Furnaces that see routine care from HVAC professionals also tend to enjoy a longer lifespan, since simple tune-ups are instrumental in spotting and resolving issues.
Since it can be tricky to do the kind of thorough, regular maintenance HVAC systems need on your own, scheduling a professional tune-up is always the best route. Find out why you should schedule routine maintenance for your furnace this season, and how HVAC company professionals inspect, clean, and service furnaces.
Why Are Furnace Tune-Ups Necessary?
During the course of a typical heating season, your furnace, heat pump, or boiler will be charged with the task of carefully heating air and pushing it throughout your home. Routine professional maintenance is crucial because technicians carefully inspect, repair, and service everything from burners to air filters. These careful once-overs improve efficiency and extend furnace lifespans, while simultaneously improving home comfort and indoor air quality.
Professional inspections and repairs are designed to counteract the wear and tear your system faces during the heating season. Technicians report that routine regular maintenance can take care of many common issues homeowners face every year in Louisville, while also helping in these ways:
- Better efficiency and lower energy bills: Your furnace works hard day and night to heat your home during cold winters. Unfortunately, moving parts can become worn or damaged after many months, making your system work harder to heat your home. Increased energy consumption can raise energy bills, but preventative service can help keep energy costs under control. Technicians clean your furnace and check for damaged components that could impact efficiency, lowering your costs and energy consumption.
- Extended furnace lifespan. Replacing worn components also prevents collateral system damage, which can extend the life of your furnace, heat pump, or boiler. Well-maintained furnaces tend to last years longer than their unchecked counterparts, helping homeowners save money each year they don’t have to replace their system. Ongoing maintenance also helps parts to stay in good shape for longer, which prevents repairs.
- Improved performance and a warmer home. When your furnace remains untouched, wear and tear can make elements of your system to run less efficiently. Your furnace may have to run for longer amounts of time to warm your home, increasing costs. However, technicians calibrate, tighten, and lubricate elements of your furnace, so every moving part works at peak capacity. When your furnace is operating properly, it will respond better to thermostat adjustments, keep your indoor air cleaner, and create more even temperatures throughout your home.
- Keep your family safe. While modern gas furnaces are designed with failsafes and sensors to prevent hazards like fires and carbon monoxide leaks, these systems need to be maintained to work like they should. Tune-ups are designed to help professionals spot issues with furnaces that could create hazards, such as cracked heat exchangers, improperly lighting ignitions, and gas pressure issues.
- Prevent HVAC emergencies. Neglected furnaces are more likely to malfunction or break when you least expect it, but thorough tune-ups can safeguard your system against problems. As an HVAC technician carefully checks your furnace, they look for worn components, dust and grime accumulations, and other inconsistencies, so they can fix the issue before it causes a heating outage.
- Preserve warranties. While it is comforting to have a furnace warranty on hand, failure to maintain equipment can void the agreement. Most manufacturers require routine HVAC tune-ups to keep the system in the best condition possible. By scheduling routine tune-ups, you can save a great deal of money on emergency repairs or early replacements, since many issues will be covered.
How Frequently Should You Schedule a Tune-Up?
Furnace tune-ups aren’t a once-and-done type of service. Since your furnace works hard each winter, these service calls must be performed annually to check and test your home system – ideally, before the start of the heating season. Many homeowners schedule service in the fall, but if you haven’t had your system inspected and repaired yet, there’s still time. If you use a heat pump, your system requires two tune-ups a year—once in the fall to prepare for home heating and another one in the spring to get your unit ready for air conditioning.
Which Services Are Included During a Tune-Up?
Heating system tune-ups are comprehensive and complex, so always have an HVAC professional perform this service. Here is a look at what happens during these preventative maintenance visits:
- Lubricate Blower Motor Bearings
- Inspect and Adjust the Tension on the Blower Fan Belt
- Inspect Pilot or Electronic Ignition System
- Careful Cleaning and Inspection of Burners and Burner Assembly
- Check and Adjust Gas Pressure
- Check Electrical System Fuses, Along With Wire Current and Voltage
- Tighten Any Loose Electrical Connections
- Check Fuel Lines for Any Problems
- Check and Test Exhaust System and Flue
- Screen for the Presence of Carbon Monoxide
- Inspect Safety and System Controls
- Check Heat Exchanger for Cracks
- Replace Air Filter
- Remove Dust and Grime From Furnace Interior and Exterior
- Ensure Panels Are Closed Tightly
- Check Thermostat Programming and Test Function
- Calibrate Thermostat
Book Your Furnace Tune-up Today!
When you schedule furnace maintenance, you are taking appropriate steps to add years of service life to your system. You will enjoy a safer, more reliable heating experience all winter long, while also saving money by lowering your heating bills.
Contact Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing to book your furnace tune-up today. By giving us a call, get the help you need to get your furnace, heat pump, or boiler winter-ready.
