It’s time to get the furnace maintained in your Kansas City area home. With winter approaching quickly, keeping your heater running is really important. But have you ever wondered what actually happens during a furnace tune-up? Read below to find out!
A Standard Furnace Tune-Up Checklist
The furnace in your home has a lot of components that are checked for safety and functionality. During your yearly furnace maintenance these are the common areas a technician will check:
- Ignitor. Modern furnaces have electronic ignition, and over time that ignitor can start to wear down. Replacing these before they fail keeps your furnace firing on the coldest days.
- Heat exchanger. The technician also checks the heat exchanger, which heats up when the natural gas fires in the combustion chamber. This is also where dangerous flue gases pass through when in route to your furnace flue. Over time that heat exchanger can weaken and crack, which can then cause a carbon monoxide issue. The technician will always run a carbon monoxide test on the system.
- Blower motor. The tech will check for amp draws on the motor, and check the electrical connections of the motor itself. In addition, they will check for noises and vibrations that might indicate pre-mature failure.
- Safety switches. Your furnace also has limit and safety switches that will shut down the furnace if it gets too hot. Those switches are checked to make sure they are working properly.
- Gas piping. The technician will also check the gas piping around the furnace to make sure there are no leaks.
- Flue venting. The flues are checked to make sure they are drafting properly and that there is no visible damage that could hinder the flue gases from leaving the home.
- Burner assembly. The tech also checks that the burners are releasing the gas cleanly and efficiently. They also clean the burners as well.
In addition, there a few other things the furnace technician will do during a standard maintenance:
- Humidifier. If there is a humidifier on the furnace, they change the humidifier pad and make sure it is on and operable.
- Furnace filter. Changing the filter is one of the most important things for your furnace. It helps keep the heater clean, which means the blower doesn’t have to work as hard.
- Dampers. If your home has dampers in your ductwork, the technician will make the adjustment from Summer to Winter so your air flow is maximized for the winter season.
- Drain lines. The technician will also clean the drain lines for your humidifier and your high efficiency furnace if applicable.
Contact City Wide Heating & Cooling at 913-384-6006 the next time you need service. We provide furnace tune-ups in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, and all cities in between.