Winters in the Twin Cities are bitterly cold, so an effective, working furnace is more than a matter of comfort. It’s a necessity. With a furnace tune-up, you can reduce the chance your furnace will break down this winter while identifying problems before the cold sets in.
There are several benefits to an annual furnace tune-up:
Fuel savings- Increased service life
- Low relative expense
- Improved safety
Before you hire a company to perform your furnace maintenance, though, keep the following points in mind.
There are few industry standards for furnace maintenance, but the U.S. Department of Energy has provided some guidelines. Before you hire a company, ask them some questions to test their familiarity with these guidelines. Will they test for carbon monoxide emissions? What components will they inspect for leaks and corrosion? What adjustments will they make to improve the furnace’s efficiency? They should be able to answer these questions easily while providing a long checklist of items they will perform.
You should also be prepared for the possibility that your furnace may fail inspection. If an inspector finds a cracked heat exchanger, for example, he probably will red tag the furnace. By law, a red-tagged furnace must be disconnected by the utility company until repairs can be made, since operation of a broken furnace can cause dangerous emissions of carbon monoxide. This is one more reason not to wait until winter for that furnace tune-up.
If you need more expert advice about a furnace tune-up or other home comfort needs, please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We have been serving the greater Twin Cities area since 1974 and look forward to helping you.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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