Separate furnaces are not encountered much in our local area, but there are some that exist. Most heating here is incorporated into the central AC as an air conditioner and gas furnace, or we use heat pumps with auxiliary heating strips. Some of the older homes had gas furnaces and swamp coolers. Separate furnaces and cooling though rare do exist. As there is little or no support for alternate fuels like oil, local furnace heating systems are generally fueled by natural gas. With winter approaching what goes into the maintenance of a furnace?

HVAC Testing

Your HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) system circulates air through out the home. One of the best ways to test a component is cycling it through its operations.

Calibrating Home Thermostat

Thermostats control your HVAC system. If the thermostat isn’t working right or there is a problem between the thermostat and your furnace you will not get the operational efficiency that you should have. Calibrating your thermostat ensures that your system will work within its operational parameters.

Test Furnace Ignitor

Gas systems use either an electrical system or a pilot light to ignite the furnace. Proper ignition is necessary for operation. No ignition, no heat. Faults are usually manifest during the testing cycle.

Check Temperature Rise

During proper operation you furnace should increase living space temperature at a certain rate. Factors include furnace size, age, state of maintenance and the temperature desired. By checking this metric, it is possible to determine if the furnace is up to heating your home, and if not, why.

Clean Furnace Burners

Natural gas is usually a clean burning fuel, but occasionally it can be hard on burners. The burners can get dirty or misaligned. The burners should be checked and if necessary cleaned, then realigned.

Clean Flame Sensor for Furnace

Flame sensors monitor the gas ensuring its presence to be ignited and burned. If gas should leak into system this can create a dangerous situation that can literally be ‘explosive’. The flame sensor turns off the furnace if it doesn’t detect a flame. If the sensor gets dirty it may fail to sense the flame, even if it is present. It turns off your furnace even though everything is ok. Cleaning or replacement of flame sensor is in order.

Furnace Safety Check

Controls do what their name implies control the operations of the furnace. If they are not operating properly the furnace does not operate effectively or becomes dangerous. All controls need to be checked for proper operation.

Furnace Gas Leak Repair

Nothing is more dangerous than a gas leak. Lines need to be check and the connection fittings.

Furnace Blower Service

No blower, no air circulation, no heat. Being mechanical the blower needs to be checked, lubed and adjusted. Belts if used need to be tightened. Most often failure is in the bearings or a burnt-out motor. It needs lubrication and check for rough turning or grinding of defunct bearings.

Furnace Carbon Monoxide Levels Checked

Carbon monoxide is toxic. It is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. Furnaces usually filter out this toxin and exhaust of this gas needs to be checked making sure it is doing so.

Replace Air Filters

Filters trap dust and dirt so that the circulating air is clear of these pollutants. They need to be replaced at the beginning of the winter season.

Check Furnace Heat Exchanger for Cracks

Heat is transferred into your home via a heat exchanger(s) so that combustion products are not introduced into the home environment. Most have two heat exchangers, primary and secondary and with the secondary being smaller and more prone to failure. Both need to be checked.

Furnace Flue Sealing

The flu is the piping used to carry away the exhaust gases to the outside of the home. These should be checked to ensure integrity.

Furnace Circuit Control Board Wiring

There are various electrical connections that need to be checked for looseness. Vibration of the blower can loosen connections. Relays need to check for proper operation and replaced if defective. Circuit boards are the brains of the outfit. Without these electronic marvel’s operations would be impossible. Operational vibrations, bad power with surges and brown outs can adversely affect a circuit board. They need to be inspected and tested for operation.

Furnace Condensate Pump & Drain

Furnaces generate condensation during operation. The drain needs to be inspected for clogs and plugs. This ensures that this water is eliminated without backing up, leaking and causing water damage.

Furnace Inspection, Tune Up & More in Summerlin, North LV, Henderson, Enterprise, Paradise, Sunrise Manor, Spring Valley, Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Green Valley Ranch, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, Peccole Ranch, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada

A full comprehensive furnace tune-up will address all these factors. Over the next few weeks be ahead of the game and arrange for a furnace tune-up. Air Supply Air Conditioning & Heating can handle all your HVAC needs. Call us to schedule your next service today!