Furnace Maintenance Checklist for Homeowners
Routine furnace maintenance promotes comfort, safety, and efficiency. Without it, furnaces are more likely to overheat, short-cycle, and experience mid-season breakdowns. While professional furnace tune-up service is a key part of keeping heaters in great condition, homeowners play an important hand in heating maintenance, too. Contrary to popular belief, furnace maintenance isn’t a once-yearly effort. Furnaces need maintenance in between professional heating tune-up service, and even when they aren’t showing signs of problems.
At Melbourne One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating, we’re sharing a detailed furnace maintenance checklist. With this furnace maintenance checklist, you can avoid common errors and oversights, maintain warranty compliance, and enjoy problem-free furnace performance.
Why Homeowners Need a Furnace Maintenance Checklist
Annual furnace maintenance is a requirement of furnace manufacturer’s warranties. By scheduling a professional heating tune-up once each year, you can keep your warranty protections intact. Comprehensive heating maintenance also keeps minor issues from spiraling out of control.
By taking an active role in your heater’s maintenance, you can spot and report the signs of developing problems early on. Timely repairs and diligent furnace care often allow for lower repair costs. They also extend the lifespans of furnaces. Identifying and addressing airflow problems, built-up debris, and other minor issues limits operational stress. With less operational stress, furnaces use less energy, sustain less wear, and last much longer.
The right furnace maintenance checklist will help you enjoy these benefits and more. It will also allow you to make a clear distinction between tasks you can handle and jobs for trained HVAC technicians. While DIY maintenance is helpful, it isn’t enough to ensure furnace efficiency, safety, and health. From inspecting heat exchangers to verifying the efficacy and performance of exhaust vents, there are many tasks included in furnace maintenance that only licensed HVAC companies can handle.
Safety First: Before You Start
Before maintaining your furnace, turn off its power and fuel supply. Set your thermostat to the “OFF” position. You can turn your furnace’s electrical power supply off by flipping its circuit breaker. For a gas furnace, stop the flow of gas by rotating its lever-type valve 90 degrees. When off, the gas valve should be perpendicular to the gas pipe. Shutting power and fuel supplies down before DIY maintenance will prevent electric shock, electrocution, and gas leaks.
Next, allow your furnace to cool completely. If you’re unsure about how to shut off the gas supply or electricity, ask your HVAC technician during your next heating tune-up. Our team members will walk you through these steps so that you can safely handle basic furnace maintenance.
Monthly Furnace Maintenance Tasks
There are several minor maintenance tasks that you should perform every month. These tasks improve airflow and support efficient fuel combustion.
Check and Replace the Air Filter
You should inspect your furnace filter once each month. Take it out and hold it up to the overhead light. When light can no longer pass through collected filter debris, air can no longer pass through it either. For most households, the best replacement schedule for furnace filters is every one to three months. Replace yours as needed.
Inspect Vents and Registers for Blockages
Inspect the air registers or air vents throughout your home. Look for heavy lint-like buildups and vent closures. Closing air vents to improve the efficiency of furnaces or redirect unwanted heat is a bad decision. Closed air vents create increased static pressure in ducting. This inhibits airflow and could cause short-cycling or overheating. Make sure that all air vents are fully or partially opened.
If your air registers or vents have lint-like buildups, wipe them down with a soft, damp cloth. You can also vacuum just behind air vent covers. Simply unscrew your vent covers and use your vacuum cleaner’s hose attachment.
Listen for Unusual Sounds During Operation
After turning the thermostat, gas supply, and electrical supply back on, start your furnace up and listen for strange sounds. Report all whistling, hissing, popping, or rattling sounds right away.
Strange noises during furnace operation can indicate a wide variety of problems, including:
- Restricted airflow
- Delayed or failed ignition
- Air duct leaks
- Loose or worn hardware
- Insufficient lubrication for moving parts
Reporting these problems and scheduling repairs before they escalate will keep them from impacting other functions and components.
Seasonal Furnace Maintenance Checklist
Another key part of your routine furnace maintenance is inspecting and caring for your furnace at the start of the heating season and throughout it. Conducting a pre-season furnace inspection will ensure your furnace is ready and working when you need it.
Before the Heating Season
Test your thermostat. Set its temperature higher than its current registered temperature to see whether your furnace turns on. Test the air that comes from your vents as well. Is it cool or warm? You can use a secondary device to measure your indoor temperature and compare it to your thermostat’s reading. During professional furnace inspection and maintenance services, our technicians will look for and correct problems caused by calibration drift.
Inspect Visible Wiring and Connections
Check your furnace’s visible wires and connections. Look for loose and worn wiring. Check the furnace’s circuit breaker as well. Look for corrosion, singe marks, soot marks and other evidence of overheating. Never attempt to fix wiring issues on your own.
Check the Area Around the Furnace for Obstructions
Check your furnace for built-up debris and large, physical obstructions. Remove anything that impedes airflow. Check your furnace’s exhaust vent at the building exterior for leaves, heavy snow loads, and other blockages. Move all furnishings and other household items obstructing indoor air vents or registers.
During the Heating Season
Throughout the heating season, monitor airflow and room temperatures. A central furnace should create and maintain a single, uniform temperature throughout the building. Hot and cold spots could indicate airflow obstructions, leaky ductwork, or other issues.
Be on the lookout for frequent cycling. Your furnace should run two to three heating cycles each hour. Each cycle should last 10 to 20 minutes. When furnaces run five or more heating cycles an hour or when heating cycles last just two to three minutes, this is short-cycling. Short-cycling is an indication of excess operational stress.
Visual Inspections Homeowners Can Perform
When performing a furnace inspection, there are several things you should look for:
- Rust or other corrosion on the furnace cabinet
- Loose panels
- Loose fasteners
- Flue and vent pipe damage
Signs Your Furnace Needs Professional Maintenance
With skipped or delayed heating maintenance, there may be signs that your furnace needs professional maintenance right away:
- Unusual furnace odors
- Unexplained increases in your energy bill
- Inconsistent heating
- Your furnace frequently turns off and on
Maintenance Tasks Best Left to Professionals
Even with the gas supply and electrical connection turned off, there are several maintenance tasks that are always best left to professionals:
- Heat exchanger inspections
- Electrical and gas component testing
- Blower motor inspections and tune-ups
- Ignition system checks
- Carbon monoxide (CO) safety inspections
How Often Should Homeowners Schedule Professional Furnace Maintenance?
All furnaces need annual furnace maintenance. The best time of year to schedule a professional furnace tune-up is in late fall, just before winter arrives. You can save money on annual heating tune-up service by signing up for a preventative maintenance plan. A preventative maintenance plan will cover the cost of annual furnace maintenance. It can also include many member-exclusive perks, such as priority scheduling for repairs and discounted parts.
Common Furnace Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid
When performing basic, routine furnace maintenance, avoid these common missteps:
- Skipping or delaying air filter replacements
- Ignoring the warning signs of problems
- Delaying professional service
- Attempting advanced DIY repairs
How Professional Furnace Maintenance Complements Homeowner Care
Homeowner care for furnaces reduces operational stress. However, only professionals can ensure truly safe operating conditions. Professional tune-ups rule out problems like cracked heat exchangers, faulty ignition systems, poor fuel combustion, and potential CO leaks. Professional furnace maintenance complements DIY care for assured comfort and peace of mind throughout the cold season.
Call Melbourne One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating
Regularly inspect your air filter, thermostat, and air registers or vents. Change your air filter as needed, open closed air vents, and remove lint-like vent debris. You should also keep an eye out for rust formation on your furnace cabinet and loose or damaged electrical wiring. For everything else, you’ll need a professional. Professional heating maintenance is essential for furnace safety. Call Melbourne One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating today to schedule heating maintenance. We’re on time or you don’t pay a dime!