Once a year you should have a furnace inspection done by a qualified technician. Now that autumn is well under way, you should probably start thinking about having it inspected soon. But when you hire someone to inspect it, what should you expect?
There is no industry standard for exactly what’s done during furnace check-ups, so the service you get at a less expensive rate might not be thorough enough to find any potential problems or hidden dangers. To ensure you’re getting a thorough inspection, ask the company what’s included in the inspection or check-up. The list should look something like this:
- Combustion gases are analyzed to make sure they’re within the specifications of your unit.
- All vents are checked for blockage and leakage, including vents to outside and vents to the furnace.
- Fresh air intakes are checked and verified to be free from blockage
- Blower access door is verified to have a tight seal
- Burners and sensors are checked and verified to be in good working order
- The heat exchanger is determined to be free from corrosion or rust
- The blower wheel is checked for proper operation and is cleaned if necessary.
- The drainage system should be checked and free of blockage. The condensate trap and drain should be cleaned and the water in the trap should be replaced.
- All wiring should be checked for damage
- Blower motor should be inspected to make sure it’s drawing the right level of amps.
- Filters should be changed (though you should be changing them regularly).
- The furance should be checked for natural gas leaks, as well as carbon monoxide not being properly vented.
For more information or to schedule your next furnace inspection, contact the professionals at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We have been serving the Fresno area since 1970.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area 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.
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