As a trusted HVAC company that’s been in business since 1999, we’ve answered thousands of questions from customers. One question we hear often is this one: “Is a furnace tune-up really necessary?”
If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that we’re firm believers in getting a yearly furnace tune-up. Tune-ups are vital to your furnace’s overall health and safety. However, we also understand why so many homeowners question the need. Scheduling a tune-up every year can feel inconvenient, like having to get the oil changed in your car. If we weren’t 100% sure a tune-up is for the best, we might question it ourselves!
It only takes a few easy minutes to schedule a furnace tune-up, and homeowners definitely shouldn’t skip this crucial yearly maintenance. Here are four reasons why a furnace tune-up is necessary for the health and safety of your HVAC system:
1. It prevents future breakdowns.
Getting an annual furnace tune-up is the easiest way to prevent breakdowns. Tune-ups can vary, depending on who you hire, but they usually consist of cleaning your system, lubricating its parts, and verifying its connections are correct. A tune-up technician also keeps an eye out for any other problems, such as weak pilot lights or cracked heat exchangers. By investing a little in yearly maintenance, you won’t have to worry about malfunctioning parts, loose connections, or dirty gas valves causing your heater to fail on the coldest night of northeast Ohio’s already-frigid winter.
Dust, dirt, and debris naturally build up in your furnace, causing it to work harder than usual to heat your home to your desired temperature. If you don’t get a yearly tune-up, this unnecessary strain on your furnace can shorten the life of your unit. As with any device, the harder your furnace’s parts have to work, the shorter they’re going to last before failing.
The average annual furnace tune-up costs between $80 and $150, but we run specials fairly often – call us today, and you could save a bundle! Even without a coupon, the low cost of a furnace tune-up now is much smarter than paying for a replacement or expensive repairs later on.
2. It lowers your energy bill.
Energy.gov estimates that the average household spends over $2,200 a year on energy bills, and almost half of this cost goes toward heating and cooling costs. A furnace tune-up is an easy way to reduce this cost with very little effort.
As we mentioned above, a neglected furnace has to work harder to heat your home. This not only places extra strain on your unit, but it really hurts your furnace’s efficiency, too.
A tune-up can improve your heating system’s energy efficiency by as much as 30%. This makes it much easier on your furnace to heat your home, and it also lightens the load on your wallet each month. You like saving money, right?
3. Your warranty may require a furnace tune-up.
A warranty agreement will vary depending on your furnace’s manufacturer, but most furnace warranties require a unit to be installed and serviced by a licensed, professional HVAC service provider.
An annual furnace tune-up is an easy way to ensure you’re complying with your warranty while keeping your furnace in great shape. Make sure you hang onto every bit of documentation regarding your seasonal furnace tune-ups, since many manufacturers will ask for proof of maintenance when making a warranty claim.
Skipping your yearly tune-up will only cause you financial pain down the road when you’re faced with repairs or need to replace your failing unit. It’ll cause your family discomfort, too!
4. It helps prevent carbon monoxide (CO) leaks.
Homeowners worry about the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks in their home, and for good reason. According to the CDC, roughly 50,000 people in the USA find themselves in the ER each year because of carbon monoxide poisoning.
While furnaces have safeguards in place to protect homeowners from carbon monoxide, leaks can still happen. A cracked heat exchanger is the usual cause of furnace-related carbon monoxide leaks. The exchanger is the set of coils inside your furnace that create the hot air to heat your home. Heat exchangers usually crack when the coils work too hard, which often happens due to a dirty air filter or an improperly-sized HVAC system.
Our expert HVAC technicians are trained to look for a cracked heat exchanger during a furnace tune-up, and they’ll also detect any other problems that can lead to a carbon monoxide leak.
Scheduling a yearly furnace tune-up isn’t as exciting as planning a vacation, but it’s an essential item on your seasonal to-do list. By having your furnace professionally cleaned and maintained, you’re helping prevent a future breakdown, a potential carbon monoxide leak, and astronomical heating bills. Schedule a furnace tune-up online today and keep your family safe and warm this winter!
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