What a 15-Point Furnace Inspection Actually Checks

Ask a few homeowners what happens during a furnace tune-up and you'll get a lot of shrugs. Somebody comes, somebody looks around, a filter might get swapped, a bill arrives. The inspection is actually a defined list of checks. Once you know what's on it, it's easier to see why it's worth doing every year before the cold sets in.

Why it happens once a year, before winter

A furnace sits idle for months, then runs hard through the coldest weeks. Wear, dirt, and loose connections don't announce themselves in July. The point of an annual visit is to find them while a fix is convenient, not at two in the morning in January. R.A. Heating & Air Conditioning says a furnace running at its best keeps bills down in frigid weather, wears more slowly, and breaks down less often, because technicians can spot issues before they become problems.

The winter list, item by item

R.A. calls its heating checkup the Winter Heating 15-Point Service Check. Here's what's on it, as the company publishes it.

• Check thermostat operation
• Check all safety controls
• Vacuum burners and heat exchanger
• Check pilot assembly
• Adjust burner for peak efficiency
• Check for gas or oil leaks in the furnace
• Lubricate all moving parts
• Check belt and adjust tension
• Check filters
• Check venting system
• Check and clean condensate lines
• Carbon monoxide testing
• Check pump pressure or gas pressure and adjust if necessary
• Inspect heat exchangers for dangerous holes or cracks
• Provide a general equipment condition report to the owner

How to read that list

Fifteen items can blur together, so it helps to sort them. Several are about safety: the safety controls, the leak check, the venting system, and carbon monoxide testing. A few are about the burning side: cleaning the burners and heat exchanger, checking the pilot assembly, adjusting the burner, and setting gas or pump pressure. Some are plain mechanical upkeep, like lubricating moving parts and checking belt tension. The rest keep air moving and water draining: filters, condensate lines, and the thermostat that tells the system what to do.

The two items worth understanding

Two lines deserve a closer look. The first is the inspection of the heat exchangers for dangerous holes or cracks. The heat exchanger keeps combustion gases separate from the air your family breathes, so a crack there is a carbon monoxide problem, not a comfort problem.

The second is the carbon monoxide test itself. A detector on the wall tells you about the air in the room. A test during the inspection adds a look at what the furnace is doing, and it's the reason a detector shouldn't be your only line of defense.

The condition report

The last item is easy to skip past: the technician gives the owner a general equipment condition report. That's your record of where the furnace stands. If it's healthy, you know. If something is wearing out, you hear about it while there's time to plan, and you can decide on your own schedule whether to fix it now or keep an eye on it. R.A. also says it offers free estimates on replacement equipment and that no one there receives bonus commissions, so the report is meant as information, not a sales pitch.

An inspection finds problems, but it doesn't make an old furnace young. If the report says a part is wearing out, the visit has done its job by telling you early. What you do with that information, whether it's a repair now, a watch-and-wait, or a conversation about a replacement, stays your call.

Making sure it actually happens

The easiest annual habit is the one somebody else remembers. R.A.'s Preferred Customer Value Program works that way: you enroll, and the company calls you, so you never have to track the calendar. As R.A. describes the program, it includes an annual furnace inspection and tune-up, an annual air conditioning inspection and tune-up, discounts on air filters and service repairs, and an annual carbon monoxide test.

Commercial care customers and VALUE program customers also receive a discounted price on annual inspections. Ask for the details when you call, since R.A. doesn't publish prices.

What you can do between visits

R.A. suggests a few simple habits that help a system last longer and work better.

• Keep furniture from blocking the registers and the return grille.
• Watch your furnace filter and keep it clean.
• Trim weeds and foliage away from any outdoor HVAC unit.
• Listen for unusual sounds and call right away.
• If nothing is running, check the circuit breaker before you call.
• Adjust the thermostat as little as possible, since every change wastes energy.
• Make sure your clothes dryer vents to the outdoors.

To get the winter check on your calendar, see the Furnace Repair and Maintenance page, or call R.A. Heating & Air Conditioning on the main line at (608) 882-6221.