Maintaining comfort over the winter can be a challenge if your heating system isn’t up to the task. Modesto winters may be mild, but there will be times when you’ll rely on your furnace to keep the chill out of the air inside your home. With proper maintenance, you’ll enjoy numerous benefits. Read on to learn more about when, why, and how maintenance is performed on your heating system.
Schedule Maintenance Every Year
Our expert technicians recommend hiring our crew to perform maintenance on your heating system every year. The best time to schedule this service is in late summer or early fall to ensure it is complete before the winter chill sets in.
If you haven’t scheduled your service in a while, that’s ok. We can still help and get your system back on track so that you can rely on safe and efficient heating inside your Modesto home.
The Process of Furnace Maintenance
There are many crucial aspects of heating maintenance that your technician will perform while conducting your annual service. Each of these steps is critical to the reliable and efficient operation of your furnace and keeping your system on track for the winter months.
Visually Inspect the Heating System
Visual inspection of your system involves looking over all parts and components inside the furnace to ensure none are damaged or overly worn. Damaged parts can create less-than-ideal conditions inside your heating system and may cause breakdowns, failures, loss of efficiency, or safety hazards. Our team can find these problems during visual inspection and schedule a time for repairs so you can have your furnace when you need it this winter.
Lubricate Certain Moving Parts
Some parts inside your heating system move during operation and may require lubrication to prevent damage from friction. Without proper lubrication, the parts may become excessively worn and create an inoperable condition, leaving you without heat.
Clean Away Dust and Dirt
Our technicians will wipe away dust, dirt, and other debris that accumulates inside your heating system. These particles can hinder the operation of your furnace, causing decreased efficiency, poor air quality, and added strain on your system.
Check Electrical Wiring
Electrical connections help power your heating system and wiring is present throughout the system. Our technicians will inspect this wiring, ensuring none of the wires are damaged or disconnected. Loose or damaged wiring can lead to inoperable conditions and may pose a safety threat and increased risk of fire.
Inspect Gas Connections
Some heating systems require gas to produce heat. If you have a gas furnace, our team will inspect the gas hookups and ensure they are secure and leak-free. Gas leaks can lead to health conditions and could lead to explosions resulting in serious injury and property damage.
Assess for Proper Airflow
Once the technician is finished inside your system, they will power on your furnace to check for proper function. One of the things your technician looks for is proper airflow, making sure you are getting sufficient and even heat through the vents. No heat or not enough heat can be caused by a mechanical problem inside your furnace. Uneven and insufficient heating may also be due to a problem in the air ducts. Your technician will look for the source of the problem and help you schedule repairs as needed.
Diagnose Any Unusual Sounds
Listening is important while testing your system after maintenance. Loud banging or clanging noises or anything else out of the ordinary requires additional investigation. Our technicians are highly skilled in heating systems and can find the source of the noise, make repairs, or schedule another appointment to take care of the problem.
Troubleshoot Troublesome Odors
Your furnace should operate odor-free at all times. If you or your technician notice any type of smell coming from your heating system or vents, you’ll need to have the issue diagnosed. Foul odors may result from mechanical issues or could be caused by buildup inside your air ducts.
Test Safety Controls and Mechanisms
Many heating systems have safety controls that shut down your system when a malfunction is present. These safety controls help prevent your furnace from continuing to run while there is a problem, which could result in disastrous damage to your unit. Other safety controls stop operation to prevent safety issues that could lead to injury or property damage. Your technician will test these controls to make sure you have safe operation during the winter.
Calibrate Thermostat
Your thermostat reads the temperature of your room and sends a signal to your heating system to adjust accordingly. If your thermostat is not correctly recording the temperature, it could result in short-cycling, insufficient heating, or overheating. Your technician will check the reading of the thermostat and make adjustments as needed.
Further, it’s vital to have your thermostat properly placed inside your home. Heat-producing appliances can alter the accuracy of the thermostat as can placing the device near a vent. Your technician should inspect the placement of the thermostat and make recommendations for moving it if needed.
Reap the Rewards of Annual Maintenance
Scheduling annual maintenance offers many benefits, centered around keeping your system running and saving you money.
Proper maintenance each year helps keep your system running in a reliable manner, lowering the risk of unexpected breakdowns and failures in the middle of winter. If your furnace does break down in the winter while you still need the heating, you may wind up paying far more for emergency repairs than if you scheduled them before the chill sets in.
A tuned and maintained furnace is an efficient furnace. Keeping your system cleaned, parts lubricated, and things moving as they should provide greater efficiency. Greater efficiency translates to lower utility bills during the winter season.
Maintenance also helps reduce stress and strain on your system. Lower stress means a longer life for your heating system. With proper annual maintenance, you could get several more years of reliable heating from your current system, allowing you to purchase one or fewer new furnaces over the course of your lifetime.
Annual maintenance helps keep dust and allergens out of your heating system and in turn keeps these contaminants from spreading throughout your house. Less dust and allergens floating around means you’ll have better air to breathe and less dust settling on surfaces for a cleaner home.
Hire the Top HVAC Professionals in Town for Your Furnace Maintenance
Keeping your Modesto home warm in the chilly winter months means having professional HVAC technicians you can count on. At Loves Air, we offer in-depth service to help you maintain comfort. In addition, our team offers skilled heating and cooling repairs and installations. We also provide mini-split services for added comfort as well as whole-house fans, water heaters, duct sealing, and window replacements. No matter your issues, we can help so you can enjoy all the seasons comfortably inside your home.
Schedule your heating maintenance today to keep your Modesto, CA, home comfortable this winter by calling Loves Air today.
