Heating System Tune-Ups: Do You Call an HVAC Professional or do it Yourself?
The fall and winter months are when your heating bills start to climb to an unhealthy level. According to those, who track and compile data on energy usage the standard cost of providing heat to consumers was approximately $1,000 in 2010. Is it any wonder that folks are reluctant to raid their bank accounts for more money to get a professional tune-up for their heating systems? However, there are six good reasons to hire an HVAC repair and maintenance technician to perform an annual tune-up on your heating system.
- Airflow. If the airflow of your furnace is hindered it will have to work harder and require more repairs as it ages. Its life expectancy will also be cut short.
- Safety Concerns. The burning of fuel must be regulated for the safe and efficient operation of your heating system. Carbon monoxide, a potentially dangerous gas, can cause serious health conditions and even death in the most extreme cases. Its level must be checked to avoid harm to you and your family.
- Fewer Repairs. Finding minor problems during an annual checkup will put the kibosh on them, and avoid having them develop into bigger problems and more repair expense.
- Avoids a Major Inconvenience. Getting an annual tune-up done before the full impact of cold winter days and nights arrives will avoid having to put in an emergency call to an HVAC repair technician. You may have trouble finding a professional to come out as soon as possible because other people in your community may be having heating system breakdowns as well. Emergency repairs also cost more.
This is why it’s a good idea to buy a service contract with a priority maintenance clause (PMC) included in it. With a PMC there are HVAC repair technicians on-call 24 / 7 to deliver prompt services in the event of an emergency breakdown of your heating system.
- Increases Operation Efficiency of Your Furnace. The cleaning and checking of your heating system’s burner and heat exchanger will keep it running safely and efficiently during those harsh and cold winter months.
- Honoring the Manufacturer’s Warranty. Many furnace manufacturers demand that you routinely perform maintenance work on your heating system, or else you will risk voiding the warranty. Having an annual tune-up done professionally by an HVAC maintenance technician will meet the requirement and keep your warranty in force.
You’re saying okay, I get it. But can’t I do this myself? Well no, HVAC maintenance and repair technicians are the ones, who have the training and certifications necessary, to inspect your HVAC heating system; perform maintenance work; troubleshoot problems and repair them; and help you extend the lifespan of your heating system. And they know just what to look for during an inspection to keep you and your family safe from harm: for example, carbon monoxide levels if too high could leak the potentially fatal gas into your living quarters, causing serious health conditions and in some cases death. This alone is enough of a reason to get an annual tune-up of your heating system.We’re playing devil’s advocate here for a practical reason. You may be a homeowner, who can’t tell a screwdriver from a wrench, but if you’re technically inclined: for instance, you revel in working on your car; your mechanical skills could be easily transferred to doing a furnace tune-up, another mechanical job. If you’re gung-ho about learning how to do a tune-up on your heating system, here are some basic guidelines on the procedures.
Heating System Infrastructure and How it Functions
To start, let’s talk about what makes up your home heating system, and how it works.There are three components: (1) the heat sensor (commonly known as the thermostat), which calibrates your home’s temperature. As soon as the temperature decreases the (2) blower kicks in, which ignites the burner, creating combustion. The blower causes the air to travel over the (3) heat exchanger, which increases the heat exchanger’s temperature, delivering it all through your home, using the heating ducts. The cool air still in the room is cycled back to your furnace, using return ducts where the warming process begins again. The warm- and cool-air cycles keep on going until the temperature level reaches the thermostat setting you have selected. At this point the thermostat sends a message to the furnace to turn off.
Take a Look under the Hood
Begin by examining your furnace. If you find signs of black soot or traces of heater debris, it’s a bad sign. To troubleshoot this problem further, raise the thermostat to turn on your furnace, then inspect the burner flames. You should be seeing flames that are constant and blue. If you see flames that are either orange or yellow and fluttering, stop right there. It’s time to call in a heating repair specialist to solve either or both of these issues. If your furnace passes the soot and burner-flame test, you can move on to the next step, cleaning.
Cleaning Your Furnace
Lower your thermostat and let your heating system cool down. It’s also best to exercise caution and shut off your circuit breaker, which powers your furnace. Once your furnace has cooled completely pull off its side panels, and using a long-nozzle vacuum attachment suck up whatever dust has built up. You can use a moist cloth to remove dust from the blower fan blades, and other places too remote for the vacuum nozzle to access. If you’ve got an older-model furnace you need to examine your blower fan’s oil cups, which are placed at both terminals of the central shaft. Apply a little oil to them.
Repairing Your Furnace
Depending on your furnace model, it may contain either a direct-drive or a fan-belt drive. If the first is the case you need not do anything. If it’s the latter inspect the fan belt to see how it looks. Check underneath the fan belt to see if there are any cracks, a symptom of its being dried out by the heat. A deteriorated fan belt needs replacement at this point. Just make sure you purchase one with the same dimensions.Inspecting the belt’s tension is a simple procedure. Just press on it in a downward direction. If it is correctly adjusted you should see approximately a half-inch of motion. If over or below, you can calibrate the tension. Slacken the mounts on the electric motor, shifting the motor to obtain the correct tension.
Reassembling the Furnace
A piece of cake, you just put back on the side panels and turn on the circuit breaker.
A Little Maintenance Tip
During the cold months it’s good maintenance to replace your furnace’s filter every month. Be proactive though and start with a new filter before the weather turns cold.Even though you can perform an annual tune-up yourself, maintaining your furnace’s efficient operation, having an HVAC pro come out every three to four years is a wise use of your money. The reason for this is HVAC specialists are skilled in detecting components that can deteriorate as your heating system ages. Using specialized tools they can check to see if those components are still operating as they should.The bottom line is to use your best judgment when deciding whether or not to perform a tune-up on your heating system, or call in an HVAC repair and maintenance technician.