Your Furnace Works—But Is It Working Right?

Routine furnace maintenance is essential for ensuring proper operation of your heating equipment.

Your Furnace Works—But Is It Working Right?Many property owners fall into the trap of believing that the only reason they would ever need to call an expert furnace technician is to repair a broken furnace. The problem with this assumption is you may not realize it when your furnace needs a minor repair. After all, some declines in performance can cut efficiency and cost you money without leading to any easily discernible symptoms. Fortunately, by inviting an HVAC expert to your home once a year for furnace maintenance, you can detect and correct minor problems to make sure your furnace is always working its best.

Try This Test Yourself

Want to see a concrete example of the sorts of subtle performance slippage we’re talking about? Try this test.

Begin by using a thermometer to measure the temperature of the air exiting your heat registers in various rooms. Then, move to the middle of the room and measure the temperature there. Subtract the higher temperature at the vent from the lower temperature in the room. This number will give you the temperature rise across the furnace. Now, go back to the furnace and open up the access panel. You should find a label plate telling you the acceptable range for the temperature rise. If your number falls outside this range, you know your furnace isn’t working as efficiently as it should!

Professional Furnace Performance Testing

In addition to testing the temperature rise, an HVAC technician will test many other aspects of the furnace performance during your annual maintenance visit. This includes:

  • Monitoring voltage & amperage draw on all motors
  • Monitoring heating cycles’ starting capabilities
  • Adjusting heat exchanger & burners as necessary
  • Testing & adjusting gas pressure as necessary
  • Testing pilot operation and adjusting as necessary
  • Monitoring flue draft for safe operation
  • Inspecting & testing safety controls
  • Adjusting airflow for proper temperature rise
  • Testing and adjusting thermostat operation as necessary

Additional Annual Furnace Maintenance Services

Another very important annual furnace maintenance service that we can provide is cleaning. The furnace components may need to be cleaned to ensure proper operation, the condensate drain in a condensing furnace may need to be cleaned to ensure proper drainage, and the blower may need to be cleaned to prevent excessive dirt and dust from getting pushed through the ductwork and out the air registers into your living spaces. We will also clean or replace your furnace air filter, a step that is essential for preserving clean indoor air in your home as well as achieving peak operating efficiency, since it takes more energy to force air through a dirty filter.

To schedule your furnace maintenance visit or to request a home performance audit that will check all aspects of your HVAC system for efficiency, please contact General Heating & Air Conditioning now.