Anyone who’s lived in Utah for any amount of time knows how quickly the weather can change during the fall. One day it can be warm and sunny and the next it’s suddenly so cold that you need to have your heat running.
That’s why it’s important that you schedule an inspection and make sure your furnace is ready to go before you think you’ll need to turn it on. Find out more about the various reasons why annual furnace inspections and maintenance are so important and what issues they can help avoid.
Ensuring the Furnace Runs
One concern if you don’t have your furnace inspected and serviced beforehand is that there’s always a chance you won’t be able to get it to turn on, and you’ll have to call for emergency service to keep your house from getting too cold.
Furnaces can develop a variety of issues that prevent them from running. If the flame sensor isn’t working, the furnace will turn on and then shut off again almost immediately. In some cases, the gas valve can also get stuck and not be able to open, or the electronic igniter can fail. Similarly, the rubber on the pressure switch can also deteriorate to the point where the switch can’t activate. These are just some of the other issues that can prevent your furnace from coming on and leave you without heat.
When inspecting and servicing a furnace, the technician will clean the flame sensor as well as check and test the sensor and all of the important components to ensure that there are no issues. They’ll then test the furnace and the thermostat to make sure that the heating system comes on when it should.
Preventing Breakdowns
Inspecting and testing all of the components also helps lessen the chances of your furnace breaking down at any point during the winter. An experienced technician can usually identify any potential problems or any components that are beginning to wear out and are at risk of failing. If they find anything wrong, they can repair the issue or replace the failing component on the spot.
They’ll also check for any electrical issues that could prevent the furnace from working or cause it to shut down before it should. Checking for loose electrical connections and damaged wiring is important for preventing potential short-circuiting as well. Not only will the furnace trip the circuit breaker if it short-circuits, but it can also suffer major damage or possibly even catch on fire.
Protecting the Life of the Furnace
Having your furnace inspected and getting any issues fixed promptly can also make a big difference in how long it lasts. For instance, your furnace will experience increased wear and tear if it isn’t heating effectively and has to run much more, which can lead to it failing sooner.
Another issue you have to worry about is the heat exchanger cracking if the furnace has any issues that lead to it frequently overheating. The heat exchanger always expands and contracts as it heats up and then cools down. Overheating leads to excessive expansion and contraction, which can weaken the metal and lead to the weld joints cracking or breaking. While it is possible to have the heat exchanger replaced, it rarely makes sense due to the high cost.
Avoiding Safety Hazards
Modern gas furnaces have several different safety features that are designed to prevent fires and other safety hazards. For instance, the temperature limit switch will shut the furnace off if it starts to overheat to ensure it doesn’t catch on fire. Similarly, the flame rollout sensor will trigger the furnace to shut down if it detects that the flames are escaping the combustion chamber and could potentially catch nearby items on fire. The concern is that these safety switches can fail and potentially make the furnace a fire hazard, which is why it’s important to have them tested.
The other hazard you need to worry about is carbon monoxide leaking out either because the heat exchanger is cracked or the furnace isn’t properly venting the combustion fumes outside. It’s a common misconception that furnaces always produce carbon monoxide.
The only byproducts when natural gas burns cleanly are water vapor and carbon dioxide, but carbon monoxide can result if the gas doesn’t burn cleanly and doesn’t fully combust. Incomplete combustion can happen either because the flames aren’t receiving sufficient oxygen or because the burners are overly dirty.
When inspecting and servicing a furnace, a technician will always clean the burners and test to make sure no carbon monoxide is being produced. They’ll also inspect the heat exchanger to make sure it isn’t cracked and check that the furnace is venting properly. All of these things are crucial for avoiding potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.
Despite all of this, you should still make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector near the furnace and additional detectors outside each bedroom just to be fully safe. It’s also important that you test the detectors every month to make sure they still work.
Another thing you should do throughout the winter is occasionally look inside your furnace when it’s running to see what color the burner flames are. Steady, bright blue flames indicate that the natural gas is burning cleanly and fully combusting. If the flames are any color other than blue, you should immediately call for a furnace inspection.
Flickering yellow, orange or red flames indicate incomplete combustion and could be a sign that carbon monoxide is being produced. If the flames are green, it often means that there’s a buildup of soot that’s causing the gas to not fully combust.
Improving Energy Efficiency and Heating Effectiveness
Having your furnace professionally serviced every year can also make a big difference in how well it heats and how much energy it uses. Issues like dirty, clogged burners can cause the flames to not get nearly as hot, resulting in the furnace heating slower and less effectively. Cleaning the burners and the blower helps to improve the furnace’s performance and minimize the amount of energy that gets wasted. The cold Utah winters mean that your heating costs will always be fairly high, but they’ll be far higher if you don’t have your furnace serviced to ensure it works effectively.
Gunthers Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing is the most trusted name for heating and cooling in American Fork. We’ve been in business since 1910, and we have a reputation for providing outstanding comfort services at fair prices. Our skilled technicians have the knowledge and experience to work on every brand of furnace and are ready to make sure that yours is fully ready for winter.
We serve residential and commercial customers and are available 24/7 to handle any heating repairs. To schedule an appointment for furnace maintenance or any other HVAC service, contact us today.
