The right time to discover potential problems in your heating system is during a fall furnace inspection. The wrong time is on the coldest night of the year three months from now. During the height of the heating season, appointments with an HVAC contractor are more difficult to schedule and rates for emergency service are high. When you turn the thermostat down next spring after a trouble-free winter in your home, you’ll be glad you scheduled a fall furnace inspection.

Here’s what’s involved in a typical preventive maintenance procedure:

  • Filter replacement. Since you should be doing this every month anyway during heating season, ask the HVAC technician to show you how to do it yourself.
  • Burner cleaning. The burner will be removed and cleaned and residue will be removed from the flame sensor.
  • Blower fan inspection. The technician will check the fan belt for wear and adjust the tension. The blower motor will be oiled at lubrication ports.
  • Vent inspection. Visual verification that the exhaust flue vent is free of obstructions all the way to the roof.
  • Thermostat calibration. Read the thermostat and compare the displayed temperature to the actual room temperature on a mercury thermometer. Calibrate if required.
  • Measure the gas pressure. At the gas manifold in the furnace, pressure will be checked and compared to standard. A low reading is a sign of a leak at some point in the system.
  • Igniter service. The electronic igniter will be cleaned (or the standing pilot light and sensor, if necessary) and operation of the igniter will be tested.
  • Safety check. At start-up, the technician will use a carbon monoxide detector to check for dangerous levels of gas. Operation of the high limit switch that shuts down the furnace if overheating occurs will be verified.
  • Temperature rise measurement. Once the furnace is at operating temperature, the temperature in the return ducts and supply ducts will be measured for proper differential according to manufacturer’s specs.

Comfort Systems is the Wichita area’s local source for home heating expertise. Let us conduct a fall furnace inspection to get your heating system ready for the long haul of another Kansas winter.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wichita, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnace inspection and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Posted in Furnaces and tagged , , , , , ,