Do Gas Furnaces Require Annual Routine Maintenance?

With winter in full swing, there is a good chance your gas furnace has already had quite the workout. The harder it works, the more likely that components will wear out and fail. As with all mechanical systems, gas furnaces in Maryland require regular maintenance to keep them performing their best.

Scheduling an annual maintenance appointment with an HVAC professional helps ensure that your gas furnace will deliver optimal comfort and exceptional reliability year after year. For even better results, you can consider scheduling an appointment in the spring and fall.

Why Hire an HVAC Professional?

While gas furnace maintenance may seem simple, the reality is that gas furnaces are complex and potentially dangerous machines. If they are mishandled or improperly serviced, it is very easy to damage the system and create conditions where a gas leak, fire, or electrocution can occur.

At Southern Pride Service, our certified, licensed, and insured HVAC professionals ensure that the required maintenance tasks are performed safely, efficiently, and effectively. We will take care of the hard work so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the warm air.

Visually Inspecting Your Gas Furnace

Simply looking at your system can tell you a lot about it. During an annual maintenance appointment, a certified HVAC professional in Maryland can examine your system and look for signs of damage. HVAC technicians will look over your air filter, fan, pilot light, electrical connections, heat exchanger, drive belt, and other components. At Southern Pride Service, we will look for signs that these components are loose, clogged, or damaged. This allows us to determine which components need to be repaired, replaced, cleaned, or adjusted.

Cleaning & Adjusting Your Gas Furnace

Furnaces are typically located in crawl spaces, basements, and other dark and dingy spaces. These areas are often filled with dust and dirt, which means your furnace can be dusty and dirty. Cleaning it can go a long way toward keeping components in good condition. It will also make it easier to spot problems that need to be corrected.

Our technicians will turn the power off and perform the following tasks:

• Clean all surfaces
• Remove and clean the blower
• Clean the pilot and flame sensor
• Clean and vacuum the burners and burner compartment
• Clean or replace the air filter
• Adjust dampers
• Lubricate motors and shaft bearings
• Adjust or replace the drive belt

Benefits of Professional Maintenance

Gas furnaces are expensive investments, and that gives you plenty of reasons to keep your system operational for as many years as possible. Annual furnace maintenance helps extend the serviceable life span of your gas furnace by many years. With proper care, you can expect to enjoy reliable comfort for 15-20 years.

Further, staying on top of gas furnace maintenance in Maryland will improve system efficiency. This will help reduce your annual operating costs and help keep your utility bills from burning a hole in your wallet.

Finally, your gas furnace warranty most likely stipulates that you must have a certified HVAC professional service the system every year to maintain warranty compliance. If you fall behind and a covered component fails, you will likely find the warranty null and void. This is easily avoided by ensuring a qualified HVAC technician performs the required tasks each year.