For your furnace to function efficiently and have a long life, you need to service it regularly. How much does it cost to service a furnace? The exact price varies depending on your furnace’s current state, the furnace service company you hire, where you are located, and the amount of work that needs to be done.
What does furnace service involve?
Servicing the furnace involves a lot of things such as:
Inspecting the heat exchanger
With age, it’s common for the heat exchanger to develop cracks, and this increases the risk of toxic fumes leaking and harming your family. The contractor you hire will inspect the heat exchanger and ensure there are no leaks. And if they are present, the contractor will seal them or replace the faulty part.
Cleaning the burners
The contractor will also inspect the burners and, if dirty, clean them. Dirty burners cause poor combustion, condensation, soot, and shorten the life of your furnace. The service provider will inspect the burners and find out if they need cleaning or replacement.
Adjusting the belts and pulleys
Loose belts and worn pulleys increase your utility bill, decrease airflow, and shorten the compressor’s life. With use, it’s common for the belts to get loose or even crack and break. The contractor will inspect the belts and pulleys and find out whether they are worn out or loose.
The contractor should then move and make the necessary adjustments to tighten the belt. If the belt is worn out, it’s up to the contractor to replace it.
Replacing the air filter
Although often ignored, the air filter is such an integral part of the furnace. When it’s dirty, it restricts airflow, which makes the furnace work harder than it should. This leads to a high energy bill and drives the furnace to an early grave.
The service provider will inspect the furnace filter and, if dirty, clean it. If the filter is too dirty or worn out, it’s upon the service provider to replace it.
How often should you service your furnace?
At a minimum, have your unit serviced once a year. By doing this, you can pick even the most minor issues as early as possible and fix them before they get worse.
This gives you peace of mind your unit can’t break down in the middle of the night. It also saves you money as you don’t have to hire an expensive furnace maintenance professional when the unit stops working.
A properly maintained furnace functions more efficiently, so you have a low energy bill at the end of every month. The properly maintained unit also has a long life.
To ensure your unit is properly maintained, you have to hire the right professional. Ensure the contractor you are hiring is certified to work in your local area. The contractor should also be experienced at servicing similar appliances to yours.
Signs your furnace needs servicing.
Did you know a furnace lets you know it needs some attention when you go for a long time without servicing it? Here are signs it’s time to service your unit:
The furnace isn’t heating consistently throughout the house.
In a properly functioning furnace, all the rooms in the house connected to the furnace should be at the same temperature. If you have noticed different rooms are hotter than others, your furnace has a problem you should address as soon as possible.
There is water in your ducts.
The presence of water in the furnace isn’t a good sign, as the water can damage your furnace and ducts and promote mold growth, leading to serious health problems.
When you notice even a small amount of water in your unit, get in touch with a furnace repair services Falls Church to look into the source of the water and fix it. The contractor should also clean and tune up the unit if it’s long since you did it.
Your energy bills have skyrocketed.
Have you noticed your energy bills going up every month and haven’t added a new appliance to your home? This might be due to the malfunctioning furnace. Let an experienced contractor look into the furnace and tune it up.
