Call Us TodayQuestions to Ask Your HVAC Technician During a Furnace Tune-up
Part of caring for the health of your HVAC system involves getting a furnace tune-up from an expert technician. Generally, you know that getting a furnace tune-up is helpful for your unit, but how much do you know about the actual process? Asking the technician questions can help you learn more about the specifics of a furnace tune-up.
What Is Done During a Furnace Tune-up?
A thorough furnace tune-up involves multiple steps on a checklist. After all, a furnace has dozens of components that need to work together to provide warmth in your home. A dependable HVAC technician is going to name several steps in answer to this question.
Some of the tasks of a typical tune-up include cleaning the blower compartment, lubricating connections, and inspecting the wiring. The completion of all of these tasks contributes to ensuring the furnace operates with efficiency.
Other tasks covered during a furnace tune-up:
- Testing the thermostat
- Inspecting the air filter
- Testing the voltage of electrical connections
- Inspecting the airflow
If there are issues discovered during the tune-up, your technician will alert you right away so that you can address them promptly. At Hoff Heating & AC of O’Fallon, our professionals have the skills to handle any scope of repair for your furnace.
How Often Do You Need a Furnace Tune-up?
Getting an answer to this question is important in maintaining the overall health of your furnace. Typically, it’s best to have a furnace tune-up once a year. An HVAC technician who examines the components of your furnace can make a recommendation that suits your system’s needs. If your furnace is older, it may need to be checked more than once a year.
What Are the Benefits of Getting a Furnace Tune-up?
An experienced HVAC technician is going to be able to name many benefits of a furnace tune-up. One of the most valuable benefits is the opportunity to discover potential issues with the system. A knowledgeable technician is able to look at the components in a furnace and spot a developing problem. Finding a potential problem before it causes the furnace to malfunction can sometimes help an owner avoid a costly repair bill.
The work done during a tune-up can extend the life of a furnace. As an example, when a technician lubricates and tightens connections, it keeps components operating smoothly. Cleaning a blower fan helps it to perform at its best without overworking itself. Without a tune-up, furnace components would experience excessive wear and tear, possibly shortening the unit’s lifespan.
A tune-up is beneficial in getting a system prepared for any level of use in the wintertime. Checking the furnace ahead of the cold weather can help a household enjoy peace of mind knowing they’ll be comfortable this winter!
Some other benefits of a furnace tune-up include:
- Adherence to the furnace warranty
- Improve air quality
- Boost the system’s efficiency
- Avoiding some repairs
What If an Issue Is Discovered During the Tune-up?
There’s always the possibility your HVAC technician will discover an issue during the furnace tune-up. If this happens, the technician explains the issue, then lets you know the recommended repairs.
The technician may perform the repair at that time, or the work may need to be done during another appointment. It depends on what type of repair work is necessary.
Does It Make Sense to Work on an Older Furnace?
Generally, getting a tune-up is a good idea for a furnace of any age. While performing the tune-up your HVAC technician can let you know important information about the overall condition of your furnace.
The typical lifespan of a furnace is 10 to 15 years. With regular tune-ups, a furnace has a better chance of reaching the upper range of this lifespan.
What Can You Do to Maintain the Health of Your Furnace?
This is an especially valuable question to ask your HVAC technician during a furnace tune-up. Furthermore, your technician can give you tips addressed to the specific needs of your furnace.
Your HVAC technician can show you the proper size air filter to purchase for your furnace. Also, this pro can tell you the most suitable type of air filter to serve your household. Since air filters have ratings, your technician can make it a lot easier to find what you need for your furnace. Also, the technician can explain the various ratings to you so you know what your filter can handle. Your technician can give you advice on how often to change your air filter, too.
How Do You Know When Your Furnace Is Experiencing Issues?
When you go to start up your furnace and nothing happens, you know there’s an issue. But furnaces can experience issues that are much less obvious.
Your HVAC technician can let you know what signs indicate possible issues with your furnace. This is helpful information coming from a technician who has performed repairs and maintenance on all types of furnaces. In short, a trained HVAC technician has seen it all!
Is This Normal for a Furnace?
This is a great question to ask a technician during a furnace tune-up. Not all of us know whether a sound or an odor coming from a furnace is normal or not. Sometimes, a noise or odor may seem strange but actually can be a normal part of a functioning furnace.
For instance, the first time you start up your furnace in the winter, you might detect a burning odor. Your technician will likely tell you it’s not unusual to detect a burning odor the first time it’s turned on for the winter. The dust that has accumulated in the furnace heats up, creating a burning odor. This type of odor is normal and goes away very quickly.
Do You Need to Think About Installing a New Furnace?
As a technician gives your furnace a tune-up, this individual forms a general impression regarding the condition of the system. Only a trained HVAC technician can provide an informed opinion on whether it’s time to replace your furnace.
As a side note, you benefit by making a connection with the HVAC pro who performs the tune-up. When it comes time to install a new furnace, you already have a trusted technician who’s familiar with the type of system you need for your home. Also, if anything goes wrong with your furnace, you have someone you can rely on to provide quality repair work.
At Hoff Heating & AC, we provide first-rate furnace tune-ups to residents in O’Fallon and the surrounding area. We conduct a complete tune-up to get your furnace ready for the fall and winter seasons. In addition to tune-ups, we offer expert furnace repairs and installations. Our skilled HVAC technicians provide air conditioner installations, repairs, and maintenance services as well. If you want to improve the air quality in your home, we can help with that, too. Air purifiers, air scrubbers, humidifiers, and UV lights are just a few ways we can improve your home’s air quality.
To arrange for an expert furnace tune-up done by pros, contact our friendly team at Hoff Heating & AC for an appointment today!
