What should a furnace tune up include?

What should a furnace tune up include?

A furnace tune up should test how the furnace burns gas, check every part that keeps exhaust out of your house, and leave you with written readings. This checklist comes from ENERGY STAR's maintenance checklist and the annual service list in Lennox's user's manual for its EL296UHV gas furnace. Items credited to Lennox are its list for that one furnace; your own furnace's manual may differ.

1. Gas piping and connections checked for leaks.
2. Gas pressure and firing rate. Lennox has the technician check supply and manifold pressure and clock the gas meter.
3. Burners and flame, checked for condition and cleanliness.
4. Combustion analysis. An instrument reads the exhaust. Lennox calls for one at every annual inspection.
5. Heat exchanger inspection. The heat exchanger is the metal chamber that keeps flame and exhaust apart from the air you breathe. Lennox says to judge it by the AHRI inspection procedure. See the warning signs of a cracked one.
6. Venting and combustion air. Lennox lists intake and exhaust pipes sound, correctly sloped and unblocked, and the furnace room's air openings clear.
7. Ignition and safety controls. Lennox lists ignition tested, flame sensor inspected and cleaned with readings before and after, gas valve and temperature limits checked.
8. Electrical. Loose wiring tightened, voltage and the blower motor's current measured.
9. Blower and airflow. Lennox lists blower cleaned if needed, total static pressure (the resistance the blower pushes against) and airflow verified, and the temperature rise checked.
10. Condensate drain on a high efficiency furnace: Lennox has the trap and drain inspected and cleaned, and the trap refilled with water. A blocked drain is a common reason a furnace leaks water.
11. Filter, thermostat and a full start up and shut off cycle.
12. CO alarms verified working, a Lennox item.

Our seasonal tune ups include combustion analysis, safety checks, heat exchanger inspection and airflow verification, and we document the readings.

Furnace maintenance checklist: why each check matters

Each check protects either your safety or the furnace's life.

Is a furnace tune up every year really necessary?

Yes, for a furnace that burns fuel. Federal agencies and the gas utility say once a year:

• The EPA says to have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune up furnaces, flues and chimneys annually.
• The CDC says to have the heating system, water heater and other fuel burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
• Enbridge Gas Ohio says to have all fuel burning appliances inspected by a licensed contractor each year.

The U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guide adds that a regular maintenance schedule can help cut heating and cooling costs by 10 percent or more and prolong equipment life.

For the EL296UHV only, Lennox's manual ties an annual licensed inspection to that furnace's limited warranty terms. Read your manufacturer's warranty terms for yours.

When should you schedule a furnace tune up in Northeast Ohio?

Book it in early fall, before the first freeze. The Department of Energy says furnaces should be checked in the fall.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland gives these average first fall freeze dates (32 F), from 1991 to 2020 normals:

• Youngstown: October 14
• Akron-Canton: October 19
• Cleveland: October 28

Cleveland's earliest on record was September 29, 1942. So book in September if you can; in October, book now, not on the first cold night. Expect a dusty first run smell; here is which burning smells are normal.

What can you do yourself between tune ups?

Keep the filter, the furnace area, the outside vents and the CO alarms in order. Inside the furnace cabinet is the technician's job.

1. Check the filter monthly, as ENERGY STAR and Lennox say. Set the thermostat to off and turn off the furnace's power switch before any panel comes off, as Lennox says. Open only the filter slot or, if the filter sits there, the blower door; never the burner compartment. Mind the sharp sheet metal edges Lennox warns about, and refit the panel firmly before the power goes back on: Lennox warns that with the blower door off, fumes that could contain carbon monoxide can be drawn inside. If the filter sticks, stop and call.
2. Keep the same filter size and rating unless a technician has looked at your system. Lennox's manual for that furnace warns a higher rated filter may restrict airflow. Before we recommend a better filter, we look at the ducts and returns; see our indoor air quality work.
3. Keep the area clear. The U.S. Fire Administration says to keep anything that can burn away from the furnace.
4. Clear the vent pipes after snow. Lennox says heavy snow, ice or frozen fog can block the plastic intake and exhaust pipes; Enbridge says clear them after every storm. After lake effect snow, check that drifts have not buried pipes on an outside wall. If a pipe is cracked, loose or blocked inside, stop and call.
5. Test CO alarms monthly. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission wants them on each level and outside sleeping areas, tested monthly. The CDC says replace a detector as its maker says or every 5 years.
6. Watch for warning signs. Lennox says shut the furnace down and call for repeated unfamiliar sounds, unusual odors, unusual window condensation, burnt looking parts, or unusual rust on the vent pipe. A gas smell is different: leave first, as below.

Where to stop

Lennox reserves its maintenance items for a licensed professional and tells owners not to attempt to service the unit in any way. Do not open the burner compartment, remove or clean a flame sensor, ignitor, gas valve or pressure switch, jump a safety switch, or reset a tripped safety more than once.

What if you smell gas or a CO alarm goes off?

Leave first and call from outside. Enbridge Gas Ohio explains that mercaptan is added to natural gas so a leak smells like sulfur or rotten eggs. Its instructions:

• Get everyone out now, leaving doors and windows open only if that does not slow you down.
• Do not use phones, switches or electronics, and do not smoke. Do not turn lights or appliances on or off, or start a vehicle nearby.
• Do not search for or repair the leak.
• Once safely away, call Enbridge Gas Ohio's 24 hour emergency line at 1-877-542-2630, or 911. On another gas utility, call its emergency line or 911.

Also, inside, do not use a flashlight, a lighter or the garage door opener, and do not try to relight anything; the Lennox manual says not to try to light any appliance.

Carbon monoxide has no smell. The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion as symptoms, and warns that sleeping people can die before they have any. If anyone has those symptoms, alarm or not, the CPSC says get outside to fresh air immediately, then call 911. If a CO alarm sounds, Enbridge says go outside, call 911 from a safe location, and stay out until a qualified professional says it is safe. A CO alarm does not detect natural gas, Enbridge notes, so the rotten egg smell is still your gas warning.

What does boiler maintenance add for homes with radiators?

A gas boiler needs a yearly service too (the CDC's advice covers every fuel burning appliance), and it adds water side checks a furnace does not have. Lochinvar's user's manual for its Knight wall mount boiler says a qualified technician must inspect and start it up at the beginning of each heating season. Its annual technician list, for that boiler, adds:

• System water pressure, piping and the expansion tank
• Leaks of water, gas, flue gas or condensate, and flue and air pipes sealed
• Ignition and flame sense electrodes, the flame and the flame signal
• Condensate trap cleaned and refilled, control settings checked

For owners, the manual lists watching the pressure gauge (on that boiler, not above 24 psi; higher may point to the expansion tank) and checking the relief valve and its discharge pipe for weeping. A valve that weeps often is a call. Never cap, plug or remove the relief valve or its pipe: Lochinvar requires the pipe to run to a safe place because the water can scald.

We service cast iron and high efficiency boilers, circulators, zone valves and expansion tanks, and balance radiators. If a radiator stays cold, see why radiators and baseboards stop heating.

When to call Raber HVAC

• Gas smell, a CO alarm or CO symptoms: everyone outside, then 911 or your gas utility. Once the house is safe, call us to check the furnace or boiler before it runs again.
• To book a tune up: call (216) 888-4822, every day 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, or book online: pick a day and an arrival window, and the office calls to confirm.
• Warning signs, or a furnace that keeps shutting off: turn it off at the thermostat and call.
• No heat in freezing weather: call the 24/7 emergency line on the same number, which also covers active water leaks and sewage backups. Meanwhile use an electric space heater only: the U.S. Fire Administration says plug it straight into a wall outlet, never an extension cord or power strip, keep it 3 feet from anything that can burn, and turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed. The CDC says never heat with a gas oven, never use a camp stove or burn charcoal indoors, and never run a generator in the house or garage, and Enbridge adds never to use a patio heater or barbecue grill inside the home or garage.

Sources

• ENERGY STAR, Maintenance Checklist
• Lennox, EL296UHV Series Gas Furnace User's Information Manual
• U.S. EPA, Carbon Monoxide's Impact on Indoor Air Quality
• CDC, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics
• Enbridge Gas Ohio, Carbon Monoxide Safety
• Enbridge Gas Ohio, Smell Natural Gas? What to Do Right Away
• U.S. Department of Energy, Consumer Guide to Home Heating and Cooling
• National Weather Service Cleveland, Frost/Freeze Information
• U.S. Fire Administration, Heating Fire Safety handout
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, CO Alarms
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Carbon Monoxide Information Center
• Lochinvar, Knight Wall Mount Boiler User's Information Manual