Preparing Your Heater for Cooler Temps Saves Money

Is your heating equipment ready for winter? You don't want to be without heat when the first cold spell hits the Southeast region. Scheduling seasonal maintenance for your furnace or heat pump is the surest way to know your heater will perform well when winter arrives.

Why Your Heater Needs a Tune Up

Your heating equipment has been dormant for several months, nearly half a year in some cases. During this time, the equipment has probably collected its fair share of dust and dirt and needs a good cleaning to guarantee efficient performance and maintain healthy indoor air. It also needs an inspection to ensure accurate temperature output and identify any problems that could lead to sudden mechanical failure.

Maintaining your heating equipment also protects the manufacturer's warranty. Many HVAC manufacturers require people to have their heating equipment serviced regularly and maintain records of those services. If you fail to do this, the manufacturer might not honor the warranty if repairs are needed.

What Happens During a Tune-Up?

When a technician comes to your home for a tune-up, they'll first determine what type of heating equipment you have. People living in colder regions of the Southwest, like Georgia and Alabama, tend to use furnaces to heat their homes, whereas households in Florida use heat pumps. Although both types of heaters achieve the same result, keeping you warm and toasty in your home, the tune-up service is different.

Here's what you can expect your service technician to inspect and calibrate if you have a furnace:

• Adjust and make repairs to electrical components
• Clean and lubricate the furnace's parts, including coils and burners
• Perform a combustion analysis
• Check the heat exchanger
• Inspect all service valves for leaks
• Clean flame sensors and test for operation
• Inspect and test safety controls
• Ensure furnace is receiving proper voltage
• Replace the air filter

Households with a heat pump can expect their technician to perform the following during a tune-up:

• Remove obstructions from filters, blower, and indoor coils
• Measure for adequate airflow
• Ensure correct refrigerant charge
• Clean and tighten electric terminal connections
• Lubricate the heat pump's motor

Since heat pumps are all-in-one heating and cooling equipment, the technician will also ensure that the electric controls responsible for switching from cooling to heating are working correctly.

For more information or to schedule your heating system tune-up, call one of our AC Southeast contractors today, or read more about our heating services online.