When you scheduled your furnace checkup last year, you probably said to yourself, “I have to remember to do this again next year.” It is time—fall weather leads to cool mornings and, later, cold winter nights. You may remember some of the benefits that came when you scheduled your furnace checkup, but can you remember what your HVAC technician did?
First, the Benefits
After you have scheduled your furnace checkup for this year, you will be able to relax, knowing the advantages coming your way:
- Professional safety inspection
- Regular maintenance
- Peak system efficiency
- Longer equipment life
- Squeezing the most energy from your fuel
Furnace Checkup Steps
Whether your system is electric, natural gas-fired or an older oil-fueled furnace, you can expect similar steps. When you scheduled your furnace checkup last year, the technician probably advised you to call again either at the end of the heating season (late spring) or just before you begin the next heating season, which is now. Here is what you will see:
- Safety First—the HVAC technician will safely shut off your furnace
- Combustion chamber—this gets a thorough cleaning, since it is the heart of your furnace; a flashlight-focused inspection helps find signs of corrosion or rust
- Flue pipe and ventilation—the dangerous gases produced by combustion must be vented outside, with no possibility of backdrafting or leaking into your home; the flue pipe and its damper are carefully inspected and tested
- Filter change—If you have an oil-fired furnace, the technician will change the oil filter; for all furnaces, the air filter gets changed or cleaned
- Burner adjustment—using instruments and probes, your HVAC technician tests and fine-tunes the burner’s efficiency
- Accessory check—programmable thermostats, whole-house humidifier, air handler and any other equipment gets a complete inspection and cleaning; electrical safety is checked to protect you
- Clean-up—Floor vents and registers are cleaned and checked, so particulates are not wafted into your Los Angeles home’s airstream and into your family’s lungs
If you have scheduled your furnace checkup already, good for you; rest easy. If you still need to, please contact us at Around the Clock Air Conditioning & Heating.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace checkups and other HVAC topics, downloadour free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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