What to Know
- Heating maintenance before winter ensures your system is ready to run safely, efficiently, and reliably.
- Maintenance tasks include thermostat checks, air filter changes, component inspection and tune-ups, and combustion analysis.
- Simple tasks can be done yourself, but most furnace maintenance must be done by an HVAC professional.
Why Heating Maintenance Before Winter Is Non-Negotiable
California homeowners understand how important a reliable heater is to home comfort during the chilly winter months. If you get hit with a sudden heater shutdown, it’s just a matter of hours before your home becomes frigid. Even worse, it can be a challenge to get emergency heating repairs in the dead of winter when HVAC companies are at their busiest.
Heating maintenance practices are key to preventing minor issues and sudden breakdowns. Regular tune-ups also increase efficiency and extend your heater’s overall lifespan. Following a simple heating maintenance checklist from the pros at Cozy Home Services can help you prepare your heating system before the cold weather hits.
The Complete Heating Tune-Up Checklist
What’s involved in the heating maintenance process? Our furnace tune-up guide outlines the main tasks to do each year before the winter weather has you running your heating system daily.
Check the thermostat
One of the easiest yet most useful ways to prepare your heating system for winter is to check the thermostat. This little device uses sensors to detect your home’s temperature and communicate with your furnace, telling it when to cycle on and off to keep your home at the desired temperature.
Check that the thermostat is powered (either with a battery or a wired connection), and that the temperature is set to the right level for the winter. Have it cleaned and calibrated once a year to ensure it’s getting accurate readings for better efficiency.
Replace or clean the air filter
Another essential part of fall heating system maintenance is checking your air filter. This usually needs to be done every one to three months, so mid-to-late fall is the perfect time to handle this task before winter arrives.
Inspect the components
Your furnace has many moving parts and components that can wear out, become damaged, or loosen over the years. It’s important to periodically inspect the inside of the system for any signs your furnace needs maintenance or major repairs.
Lubricate parts
Moving parts in your furnace, such as fans and motors, need to be lubricated regularly to help them move smoothly and without damage to other components. Missing this step can cause a range of issues, including poor efficiency, heating shutdowns, and frustrating problems like your heater blowing cold air.
Do a thorough cleaning
Your air filter helps to keep a lot of dust and debris out of your furnace, but it probably doesn’t catch everything. Get your furnace’s interior thoroughly cleaned before you rely on it daily in winter, to prevent it from clogging or becoming damaged.
Inspect the ductwork
Your ductwork moves the warm air from your furnace throughout your home. If ducts become leaky or the insulation is compromised, it can dramatically lower your energy efficiency and create cold spots throughout your house. Include a ductwork inspection in your pre-winter maintenance checklist.
Perform safety checks
Gas-powered furnaces require regular maintenance to remain safe and efficient. Loose gas lines are a serious hazard that can cause noxious fumes or even a fire. For this reason, safety checks are an essential part of heating maintenance.
Get a combustion analysis
Your furnace should completely combust (burn) the gas that fuels it, so no harmful emissions enter your home. Get an annual combustion analysis to ensure your furnace is burning efficiently and safely.
What Should Homeowners Check vs. Leave To the Pros?
While some maintenance tasks are definitely DIY-friendly, others are too technical or risky to attempt yourself.
Checking your thermostat, changing air filters, and doing some light cleaning on the system’s exterior are all safe to do yourself. You might also be able to identify obvious issues, such as external damage, while doing these tasks.
However, component maintenance, lubrication, fitting inspections, and combustion analysis are best left to a qualified HVAC professional.
DIY Heating Maintenance vs. Professional Service
What are the benefits of a professional heating tune-up versus doing it yourself? For one thing, your technician brings extensive knowledge, training, and experience to the table, which means they’ll be able to spot, repair, or prevent issues you may never have noticed. This helps your furnace run more efficiently and protects you from premature replacement or repairs.
Professional tune-ups offer other benefits, too. While anyone can change an air filter or reset a thermostat, only an HVAC tech can perform combustion and efficiency analysis to ensure your system is running safely and optimally. Professional heating maintenance from Cozy can help you save money with regular HVAC specials, maintenance plans, and transparent pricing.
We take pride in being the top choice for HVAC maintenance in our Solano service area. With a reputation for outstanding work and great customer service, we’re here to help you with everything from routine, annual maintenance to rapid repairs when you need them most.
Service Areas We Cover
We proudly provide heating maintenance and tune-ups across Solano, California, and surrounding counties, including:
- 95688 – Vacaville
- 94533 – Fairfield
- 94590 – Vallejo
- 95620 – Dixon
- 94591 – Benicia
Schedule Your Heating Tune-Up With Cozy HVAC Today
Ready to take the guesswork out of HVAC maintenance? The Cozy team has you covered. Our highly trained, qualified technicians bring the tools and experience to maintain, tune up, and repair your furnace, ensuring it’s ready to run reliably all season long. Contact us today to schedule your appointment before the winter chill sets in.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should you schedule a furnace tune-up?
The Cozy Home Services team recommends scheduling a furnace tune-up at least once a year. For the best results, we suggest doing it in the fall, right before you need to start using your heater daily.
What happens if I skip heating maintenance for a season?
While you may get through a winter without incident after skipping annual maintenance, there are no guarantees. Even if you avoid a total shutdown, there’s a good chance your system will run less efficiently, putting more wear and tear on components or even causing a dangerous issue, such as a gas leak.
Will a heating tune-up extend the life of my HVAC system?
Yes, heating tune-ups help extend the lifespan of your furnace or HVAC system. Inspecting, cleaning, lubricating, and repairing your heater’s components helps your system run more smoothly and last longer.
