Cold Colorado winters mean a significant need for reliable, safe, and efficient heating inside your home. Your furnace takes on a hefty workload when the temperatures dip, so extra care is imperative to keep it running. Our heating maintenance technicians keep your heating system in tip-top shape with routine service and tune-ups so that it runs reliably this winter. Take a look at all the work we do when we perform your regular furnace maintenance.
Visual Inspection
To begin your furnace tune-up, we start with a visual inspection of the system. We look at the different parts of your furnace and spot any abnormalities or concerns. Our technicians check the blower for excessive wear, the belt for cracks, the burner for damage, and all the other components for anything that is out of the ordinary and that could prevent proper function. This visual inspection allows us to find problem areas within the system and schedule repairs before the winter weather sets in so that you are prepared with a fully operational furnace.
Wipe Away Dust and Debris
As we work through the system, our technicians wipe away dust and dirt that has accumulated on and inside of the furnace throughout the year. We clean the debris out carefully so as not to damage any parts. This cleaning creates a less stressful workload for your furnace, resulting in more efficient heating and a longer lifespan. A clean furnace also contributes to better indoor air quality and less dust accumulation on the surfaces in your home.
Lubricate Moving Parts
Your furnace has gears and other parts that move during the operation of the system. Your technician locates these moving parts, checks them for excessive wear, and lubricates them to protect against damage from friction as they move against other parts. Without proper lubrication, these components may fail faster and leave your system unable to create heat for your home.
Inspect Utilities
The electrical and gas components of your heating system are especially crucial for safe operation. Our technicians inspect all the wiring inside your furnace, looking for signs of damage and ensuring that they are tightly connected. We check voltage and currents, making sure that the electrical components are operating at safe and effective levels.
If you have a gas furnace, we check the gas lines for corrosion and tighten them to prevent leaks. We test for carbon monoxide, a potentially deadly gas that could leak from your furnace if the lines are not secure. We make sure the gas valve is open and if you have a gas tank outside your home, we make sure it has fuel in it.
Check Condensate Drain Line
At the same time your furnace creates heat for your home, it creates moisture. This moisture turns to water and travels away from your system through the condensate drain line. Our technicians inspect this drain line to ensure that it’s not damaged, disconnected, or leaking, and we make sure that it is clog-free so that water can travel through it. If this water isn’t removed from the system, it can collect inside the furnace and create damaging conditions for your furnace.
Check Pilot Light
While scanning through your system, we make sure your pilot light is lit and stays lit to create heat. We also check the color of the light. Your pilot light should burn bright blue to indicate that the gas is flowing. If your pilot light is yellow, this could indicate that you have no gas flow or a gas leak. Gas leaks can cause extremely dangerous illness or even death and can even lead to explosions in some instances.
Test Safety Controls
Many heating systems have safety controls that stop the unit from operating when dangerous malfunctions are detected. Our technicians test the safety controls of your unit and ensure that they stop the furnace as they should. If the safety control tests fail, repair is required before using your heating system to prevent devastating damage to the machine or your home.
Assess Airflow
After completing the internal inspection and tuning, we fire up your furnace to ensure that it gives you ideal home comfort. After turning on the furnace, we check that air is coming out of all the vents and that this air is hot. We check that the home heats up to the desired temperature before the furnace clicks off. Inadequate airflow may be a sign of something defective inside your furnace or could be caused by an issue in your ductwork.
Identify Unusual Smells and Sounds
As your furnace operates, our technicians assess for unusual happenings that could indicate a problem that we didn’t spot during visual inspection. Your furnace should operate quietly though you will hear the motor and blower running and air flowing through the ducts and vents. Loud banging noises, whistles, cracks, and pops are all indicators of a problem and should be further investigated.
When you first turn on the furnace, you might notice a faint burning smell. This occurs as the dust inside your system and ducts heats up. However, after the initial cycle, there should never be an odor from the furnace or in the air it blows. Strange odors could indicate a malfunction inside the furnace or debris in the air ducts.
Calibrate Thermostat
Finally, our technicians check the accuracy of your thermostat. Your thermostat should display the correct temperature of the room around it. If it doesn’t, we’ll first inspect the area. Heat-producing appliances can affect the reading on your thermostat and may need to be moved away from the device for an accurate reading. The thermostat should be posted in an open area where furniture and other belongings don’t block it. If the thermostat is properly placed but doesn’t accurately read the room’s temperature, our technicians calibrate the device so that it does.
Annual Tune-up Benefits
Furnace maintenance should be scheduled every year to enjoy the best comfort in your Colorado home. When properly cared for, your furnace will operate efficiently with lower energy consumption, leading to lower heating costs. You’ll enjoy fewer breakdowns when you schedule routine maintenance, and your system will often give you added years of heating when tuned and maintained on a regular basis. Our HVAC maintenance plans take the guesswork out of scheduling, and come with other perks like discounts as well.
Your Trusted HVAC Maintenance Experts
Each of our dedicated HVAC technicians is highly trained and skilled in heating maintenance, so you can relax with peace of mind in your Colorado home this winter. In addition to heating tune-ups, we offer preventative service for your air conditioner as well. We also provide expert heating and cooling repairs and installations, including for heat pumps. Our technicians specialize in indoor air quality services and equipment too, helping keep your home at maximum comfort levels throughout the year. Trust our dedicated and experienced heating and cooling technicians for your year-end furnace tune-up services and enjoy ideal comfort in your Denver home this winter. Call Premier Heating and Air today to get on the schedule.
