It’s important to take good care of the heating system in your Billings, MT home. After all, when local temperatures drop below freezing, you’ll need this equipment to keep everyone in your household safe and warm. In addition to regular air filter changes, residential heaters need professional maintenance. But what does professional heater maintenance entail and how often should you have it performed? Read on to find out.
What to Expect During Professional Furnace Maintenance
Changing your furnace’s air filter is easily one of the best things that you can do to keep your heating system running efficiently. Regular air filter changes protect your indoor air quality (IAQ) and limit the amount of stress that your HVAC equipment is subject to. However, apart from this simple maintenance task, nearly everything else should be handled by a licensed HVAC contractor.
During professional furnace maintenance, our HVAC technicians test all system controls, inspect and calibrate all thermostats throughout the building, and thoroughly clean all internal and external furnace components. They replace worn and damaged parts, make sure that exhaust systems are performing correctly, and look for proper amperage and voltage at all electrical connections.
Surprisingly, much like air conditioners, many furnaces rely on condensate lines. After extracting excess moisture from the indoor air, they use these lines to route condensation out of the building. Thus, annual furnace maintenance also entails making sure that this line isn’t cracked or clogged.
During this service, your provider will additionally check the:
- Furnace blower motor and blower wheel
- Heat exchanger(s)
- Electrical connections
Cumulatively, these and other measures reduce the risk of fire, a decrease in indoor air quality, excessively high energy bills, and carbon monoxide exposure.
Furnace Manufacturers Recommend Scheduling Annual Maintenance Service
All new furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps come with manufacturer warranties. On average, these agreements and their related protections last about five years. With a manufacturer warranty, you won’t have to pay for replacement or repairs out of pocket if the need for these services is due to defective parts and materials or substandard manufacturing.
However, manufacturer warranties are always mutually binding agreements. To enjoy their benefits, consumers must diligently maintain their equipment. If you read through your warranty documents carefully, you’ll find that your heater manufacturer requires you to schedule professional furnace maintenance at least once each year. Failure to do so could result in the automatic voiding of this guarantee. Moreover, if your home insurance company or home warranty company has similar stipulations concerning your heating equipment, you could lose these protections as well.
Even when manufacturer warranties expire, HVAC companies recommend scheduling heater maintenance once annually. Doing so keeps furnaces working efficiently for far longer. These services are best scheduled in mid to late fall, just before the cold season arrives. These recommendations also hold true for both boilers and heat pumps.
Establishing the Right Schedule for Heat Pump Maintenance
Like furnaces and boilers, heat pumps that are used solely for heating should be professionally maintained at least one time each year and just before outside temperatures plummet. However, if you use your heat pump for both heating and cooling, your equipment needs professional maintenance twice annually. You should schedule professional maintenance service in early spring before using your heat pump for cooling, and again in the fall. When these units work year-round, they require twice the maintenance and support.
What About Furnaces That Are Newly Installed?
You might be tempted to skip annual heater maintenance if your furnace, boiler, or heat pump was only recently put in. However, new heating systems require regular maintenance too. Early on in your furnace’s life span, routine maintenance is vital for ensuring that your unit is correctly installed and that it’s working safely and efficiently. Exhaust vent blockages, electrical troubles, and dirty thermocouples are just a few of the many issues that could lead to serious health and safety hazards.
Scheduling annual heater maintenance from the time of installation to replacement is always key for preserving the protections of all relevant warranties and insurance policies. Warranty issuers and insurance companies could deem you as being non-compliant with the terms of their agreements if you miss a routine maintenance appointment even when your furnace is just one to two years old.
Our residential heating and cooling services keep residents of Billings safe and comfortable in their homes year-round. We offer heat pump, furnace, and air conditioner maintenance, installation, and repairs. We also provide water detectors, fireplaces, and advanced indoor air quality equipment. If your heater is due for annual maintenance service, contact us at Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC today to schedule an appointment.
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