Furnace Maintenance Services Minneapolis, MN
Imagine sitting warm and cozy inside your home while you watch the beautiful white snow soundlessly hit the ground outside. Then imagine a loud bang and crash: a surefire sign that your furnace has just bitten the dust. Unfortunately, this type of scenario happens all the time. The good news is there are steps you can take to minimize the possibility of this happening to you. One of the primary ways to ensure you don’t find yourself in this situation is by investing in regular, professional furnace maintenance.
The Importance of Regular Furnace Maintenance
There are far too many homeowners who take their furnaces for granted. They simply turn the thermostat on and expect warm air to come from the vents. However, without proper furnace maintenance, you may be in store for a rude awakening when your furnace simply won’t fire up.
When you schedule the professional technicians from One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning to come out several times a year, they will inspect and clean all furnace components and ensure there are no issues present that could cause a larger issue down the road.
Services You Can Trust
Modern heaters, furnaces, and boilers are more advanced than ever before. This means you need to find a service that understands how to work on a wide array of makes and models, both new and old. Our professional technicians offer years of experience, as well as proper training, to provide quality and reliable services for your furnace, regardless of how old or new it may be.
Regular furnace maintenance will not only keep your furnace ready to go all year long, but it will also help to identify small issues that may be present. This will help to eliminate the possibility of a total breakdown on a cold and snowy night.
Furnace Maintenance Checklist
Performing maintenance is possible on your own, though it is recommended to bring in an HVAC technician a few times per year to perform routine maintenance and regular checkups on the whole system. This technician will begin their maintenance check by looking for oil ports on the motor, adding oil if needed. Many contemporary furnaces do not require lubrication. Those with oil ports, however, should be lubricated once per year.
You should vacuum around the blower of the furnace at least once per year. If possible, remove the fan unit and clean each blade individually, then vacuum the entire system. Many homeowners may not feel comfortable handling such maintenance on their own, which can often lead to neglect of the system. In this case, it is best to call in a technician to handle the issues. The next time the technician is around, ask for a bit of advice or simple techniques that you can do on your own.
Furnace Maintenance Cost
No family wants to wake up in the dead of night to a cold room and a broken furnace. What might be even worse, however, is an unexpectedly high repair bill for that furnace. To avoid repair costs, homeowners need to conduct basic preventative maintenance. Too many homeowners forego maintenance and cleaning due to a busy lifestyle. This is no excuse. You can easily hire a professional service to handle a home furnace unit’s maintenance and cleaning.
Professional maintenance, believe it or not, will save you money in the long-run. Repairs, especially large-scale ones, can be costly. Maintenance, on the other hand, incurs an annual or bi-annual cost, but prevents costly repairs and the need for a replacement furnace. At Northern's One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, we provide a comprehensive estimate for our services. We want you to understand the total cost of our work beforehand. Our quality maintenance is your most cost-effective option.
How Often Should I Replace My Furnace Filter?
When it comes to replacing the filter on your heating system, there are a few variables to consider. For the most part, it is highly advisable to replace the furnace filter once every four to six weeks, especially during the heating season.
You should consider whether or not there are animals in the home, how dusty the interior of your home is, whether you keep a heat fan on often, or whether anyone smokes in the home. This final factor can be a major reason to change the filter often, as it can lead to pollutants in the air that lower the overall quality of the air. Smoke has a habit of clogging filters and coating heating fans, lowering their efficiency and ability to perform properly. This is the last thing you want. When it comes to efficiency, replacing the filter each month is advisable.
What Maintenance Is Required for Peak Performance and a Valid Warranty?
In order to ensure your heating system runs at optimal performance and the warranty remains valid for the intended lifespan, it is best to perform routine maintenance and perform regular checkups on the entire system, just to be safe. Pre-season maintenance can ensure your entire heating system avoids total failure, especially when it comes to extreme heat or the cold of winter.
Most heating system manufacturers clearly state that homeowners should have maintenance performed on their systems annually to keep the warranty intact. A properly maintained system has a 30% longer lifespan on average. On top of that, a system running at peak performance will lower your energy bill by up to 20% each month, saving you a lot of money annually.
That said, maintenance-related repairs are generally not covered under a warranty or even an extended warranty put forth by the manufacturer. To prevent such repairs from being necessary, you should stick to a routine maintenance schedule.
Let Northern's One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® provide your furnace with regular maintenance by calling F:P:Sub:Phone} to schedule an appointment.