Often in the climate we live in, homeowners are more concerned with air conditioning. Understandably so with the high temperatures we usually endure during the summer. However, preventive maintenance is needed for both cooling and heating. During the cooling season technicians make sure the air conditioner is working at maximum comfort and efficiency, while examining different parts of the air conditioning that could cause major component failures if not within factory specifications.

It is even more important to have preventive maintenance performed on a heating system. Technology has made gas furnaces safer by using more safety devices to ensure the safety of the homeowner as well as the structure.  Safety devices on all heating systems should still be checked routinely by a trained service technician to make sure they are working properly.

There are still many items on a gas furnace that can not be observed or monitored by safety devices, creating a greater need for annual inspections of the gas furnace.  Here are just a few items to consider:

1) If the gas pressure or fresh air is not supplied to the burners at the proper rate incomplete combustion could occur.  Complete combustion is needed for peak efficiency and is important to homeowner safety. Incomplete combustion can cause soot and carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, tasteless, and colorless poisonous gas.  
2) Gas furnaces should be checked annually for the presence of carbon monoxide with a calibrated carbon monoxide detector.  Carbon monoxide detectors measure CO in parts per million.  Any reading above 9 parts per million is considered unsafe.

Sometimes the heat exchanger of a gas furnace can crack due to the stress of the metal heating up and cooling down during a call for heating.  The end result of a cracked heat exchanger is the possibility of carbon monoxide being introduced into the air stream of the furnace providing warm air to the structure.

3) Safety limits should always be checked to ensure the gas to the burners will be shut off if an unsafe condition arises.  If the system’s safety device were to fail the gas furnace could reach an unsafe operating temperature.

4) Although heat pumps use no gas, they still need to be checked regularly.  Heat pumps use two stages of heat to provide comfort to the home.  Heat pumps also have safety limits that prevent the electric heaters from getting too hot and causing excessive temperatures at the indoor air handler.

As you can tell we think the most important reason for having your furnace checked annually is SAFETY.  It doesn’t hurt that it also helps keep your unit running efficiently which saves you money.

A Gold Service Club contract from Stan’s provides a homeowner with a cooling and heating inspection to ensure peak efficiency, maximum comfort, and safe unit operation.  Our goal is to provide our customers with the highest level of service including assuring that the system operates safely.

Russell Smith - Service Manager