Furnace inspections are a component of routine furnace maintenance, though some providers offer them as a stand-alone option. This guide explores why manufacturers and service providers consider inspections critical for homes in cold climates.
Prevents Unexpected Breakdowns
Furnaces experience a base level of strain while they run. However, without regular inspections, that base may increase over time due to worn parts, restricted airflow and loose electrical connections. This added strain can make your furnace more susceptible to breakdowns when frigid weather settles in.
To prevent this, our technicians perform extensive testing, looking for parts working sub-optimally. Beyond testing, if your inspection is part of a maintenance visit, our team will tighten mounting hardware and electrical connections and clean the system.
Keeps Your System Running Safely
Gas furnaces are a primary source for potential carbon monoxide leaks. During a furnace inspection, our technicians will check how the furnace is burning the fuel and ensure that it’s burning completely. They will also look for fuel leaks. If the system overheats, it can cause the heat exchanger to crack and leak exhaust gases into your home, including carbon monoxide. Our technicians will inspect the heat exchanger, ensuring it’s properly sealed and has a lower risk of exhaust leaks.
If you have an electric furnace, our technicians will ensure the wiring is secure and in good condition. This helps to prevent power surges.
Reduces Heating Expenses
Heating your home all winter can get expensive, especially if the system’s efficiency wanes. Much of what an inspection includes is evaluating how well the system is running, with an effort to protect its efficiency. Beyond how completely the fuel burns, this also includes:
- How the blower motor is working
- The temperature of the outflowing air
- The volume of supply air
- Thermostat age, calibration and function
- The static pressure of the system
- The condition of the air intake filters
Improves Household Comfort
Your home’s comfort depends on your furnace’s ability to heat air and circulate it throughout your home. It must draw in enough air to create negative air pressure at the return vents to distribute the heated air well. At the same time, it must push enough air out to create positive air pressure at the supply vents. Airflow restrictions like a dirty air filter, a dirty circulating fan wheel, or a faulty blower motor can all inhibit airflow, leaving areas of your home too cold. Our technicians will check all these during an inspection and clean the circulating fan if it’s a full maintenance visit.
Fewer Repairs
Furnaces have many components that must all work effectively together to run efficiently. When one component isn’t working well, it’ll wear the other components more quickly. Finding and resolving minor issues early reduces the wear on different elements, resulting in fewer repairs over the life of your system.
Extends Service Life
Most furnaces have an expected service life of 15 to 20 years, assuming they receive regular inspections and maintenance. However, neglecting this important part of furnace ownership can shave life from your system. Thinking about the costs of repairs versus a replacement, you typically replace a furnace when a single repair costs more than 50% of the price of a new system. Additionally, it makes sense to replace it if the cost of repairs over the last two years multiplied by the system’s age exceeds the price of a new system. Reducing the wear on internal components helps extend the time before either of these equations becomes true.
Protects Your System Warranty
Most manufacturers consider routine inspections and maintenance so critical that they tie their warranty to them. Manufacturers include this because they want the warranty to cover faulty parts or workmanship but not hold you responsible for system neglect. If you fail to keep current on these visits, you may invalidate the factory warranty. Warranties are not met if you do the maintenance and inspections yourself unless you have the proper certifications. In many cases, DIY fixes can cause additional issues that will not be covered.
Northglenn property owners turn to Unique Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. for dependable HVAC services. Since 2007, our expert team has proudly provided AC and heating maintenance, repair and installation services. We also offer superior indoor air quality solutions, including routine duct cleaning. Call to schedule a furnace maintenance visit with one of our NATE-certified technicians today, which comes with a complete inspection.
