How Often Should You Have a Furnace Tune-Up?
Are you wondering when is the right time for furnace tune-up? It’s soon going to be the time of the year when you need to turn on your furnace to stay warm. What could be worse than waking up in the middle of the night freezing in the cold? Not being able to call an HVAC contractor. This situation can be avoided if you had called a professional for a furnace tune-up in fall.
Many people skip the annual maintenance of the furnace because it has not broken down. Of course, it will not break down immediately. There are signs that will tell you that your furnace needs a tune-up, you need to pay attention.
In this post, we have discussed everything you must know about the furnace tune-up.
According to many HVAC contractors, you should schedule maintenance once a year, most probably in fall. However, if you have installed a new furnace and your house is clean, there is no need to schedule annual maintenance. It can last for two to three years without maintenance. This is just a misconception. Getting your furnace checked once a year is essential to avoid any upsetting situations.
Signs Your Furnace Requires a Tune-Up
There are plenty of signs telling you a Furnace tune-up is required to avoid unnecessary furnace repair. Some of the signs include:
Bad Odor
A bad smell comes from your furnace. In case you have an oil or gas furnace, it is normal to have a slight smell of burnt fuel. However, if the smell gets unbearable or comes from other rooms as well, then you should get it checked. This is a huge sign that furnace repair is needed. In case your home smells like rotten eggs, you should immediately contact the HVAC contractor.
High Energy Bill
Another sign that will let you know there is something wrong with your furnace is your high energy bill. When your monthly energy bill increases by the month since you turned on the furnace, it shows a tune-up is required. This means that your heating system is not working efficiently. Through a tune-up, the professional will make sure all the bolts and nuts are secure.
No Heat
This is no brainer. If your furnace is turned on and no heat is coming out, it is an obvious sign it requires a tune-up. In case you counter this problem, you need to contact the professional right away. They are trained and skilled enough to diagnose the problem and resolve it.
Loud Banging Noise
There is no doubt that the furnace doesn’t operate silently. This means even when your furnace is running smoothly, there will some noise. Nonetheless, the furnace will not make any loud, banging noise. If your furnace makes loud noises, then it is time for a tune-up. Mostly, the blower motor must be repaired.
The Pilot Light is Orange or Yellow
When your furnace is working properly, the light will be blue. If the color of the light changes to yellow or orange, this indicates it needs a furnace repair.
Frequently Turn on and Off
If your furnace is not working properly like it turns on and after running for a few minutes, it gets turned off. This might indicate a tune-up is required. There are many possibilities; it can be due to faulty wiring or thermostat malfunction, or even because a fan motor needs to be fixed. No matter the reason, it should be checked by an HVAC contractor.
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What Can You Expect from Furnace Tune-up?
Not everyone knows what a furnace tune-up includes. Since there are many fraudulent companies waiting for their next victim, you must be extremely careful. You will have to consider many factors. To make sure the HVAC contractor is not a fraud, you should what’s included in a tune-up.
- The professional will clean all the components of your furnace, including the combustion chamber, blower motor and fan, heat exchanger, jets, and burners.
- The HVAC contractor will do a temperature differential test. In this test, the temperature of the air that goes in and out is measured.
- They will even check and clean the condensate lines. Such lines can drain the water that is produced from gas combustion. Also, these lines will drain the condensation that is collected on the coil of A/C.
- In the tune-up, the professional will even take a close look at the flame sensor and ignitor. They check if whether it is worn or not. In case anything is damaged, it must be replaced.
- During a tune-up, combustion analysis will be performed. Through this, the levels of C/02, C/O, and O2 are checked.
Cost of Tuning Up of Furnace
The cost of Tuning depends upon the condition of the furnace.
Furnace Maintenance & Tune-Up : Hiring The HVAC Technician
When you have hired an experienced technician, you can ask them for expert advice. For instance, you can ask them which filter you should use. There are many factors that must be considered when deciding the type of filters like furnace style, lifestyle, and health issues.
Without the proper knowledge, you might end up having a filter that is not right for your furnace. There is a possibility the filter is too porous or is too fine. In both cases, the filter will not perform efficiently and might not filter the air properly.
Moreover, you can even ask the technician to do some other tasks. For instance, you want to get a smart home thermostat installed in your home. You can ask the professional to install it while they are here. This will enable you to get the thermostat installed without calling them again for installation.
In the end, the experts should be contacted at least once in the fall for furnace tune-up. Keep an eye on your furnace and contact a professional HVAC Contractor if you sense something is wrong.
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