Annual furnace checkup?

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pete6032

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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Is it worth it to pay for an annual furnace checkup? My furnace is from the early 2000s and I will run the furnace between November and March. I just bought this place so I have not had an official inspection yet, but our home inspector tested the furnace and noted it was working properly.
 
HeXen

HeXen

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Dec 13, 2009
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Early 2000's is getting up there in age for a furnace. A furnace checkup means that you run the required maintenance tasks such as cleaning the flame sensor and igniter, checking the pressure switch, clearing the inducer motor hose connector, checking for CO2 leakage, etc. All of that has to be done every year. When something fails...and it will eventually. Then it will always fail in the dead of winter because that's when it's under the most heavy use. Summer too if you use a central air unit. A home inspector turning it on to see that it kicks on is not quite cutting it. When a furnace fails, there is usually no warning whatsoever.

It's all easy stuff to do yourself though. You can start by watching videos like this to get a grip on how all of the parts work.
Also familiarize yourself on error LED codes for your particular furnace. I have a Goodwin and have replaced almost all of the parts inside of it except for the heat exchanger, blower and mobo in the 12 years that I've had it.
 
snoopy7548

snoopy7548

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Jan 1, 2005
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I only got my gas furnace checked once, probably 6-7 years ago, and as of now it's just eight years old. Since then, I haven't had it serviced.

There's really not that much that can go wrong with a modern gas furnace, or not much that needs to be maintained, at least for a high-efficiency one. Check that the flame is blue and the inside of the furnace is clean, and your condensate line isn't clogged.

If you have oil, I think the consensus is you should get it cleaned/tuned up each year.
 
bbhaag

bbhaag

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Jul 2, 2011
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Normally I don't because I can usually fix whatever is wrong myself so my logic was why pay for some one to come and give it a once over.
This year I opted to have the tech come out and take a look at both units though(main floor + second floor). We moved into this house a little less than two years ago and while the inspector test fired them before we moved in I wanted an actual HVAC pro to come out and give them a good cleaning/looking over.

I will most likely not make this an annual thing though. Going forward I will perform any maintenance or repairs needed.
 
iRONic

iRONic

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Jan 28, 2006
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pete6032 said:
Is it worth it to pay for an annual furnace checkup? My furnace is from the early 2000s and I will run the furnace between November and March. I just bought this place so I have not had an official inspection yet, but our home inspector tested the furnace and noted it was working properly.
Click to expand...
As pennance for my threadcrap I'll add a serious post;

Check your local HVAC Co's websites for the seasonal coupons. At least 4 or 5 run TV ads around here also.

Local Coupon
 
bigi

bigi

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Aug 8, 2001
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No need to to it annually, me thinks. I get my HVAC guy to check out my rig every 2-3 years. Besides checking, which matters for gas line too, he cleans it. I gladly spend 150 every 2-3 years for that.

I change my filters very often. Even though this has been done, he cleaned up a lot of dirt/dust from the inside of the furnace.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

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May 24, 2003
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I usually don't bother but the first time I run it I make sure I can be around for a bit to make sure it's running fine and I keep an eye on any parameters like temperatures etc. I find my return and supply temp is kinda warm lately which is odd so I've been keeping an eye on that. I think it's just because it's early in winter so it's not really that cold yet to begin with. So I will keep an eye on that as temps drop. I may be due to clean the A/C coil. Some dust can still get passed the filter over time.

I really need to clean the blower though, been putting it off, I thought the duct cleaning people would do that but they don't.
 
pete6032

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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I'm having someone come out and inspect it next week. It was $80. I know its an older furnace so we'll see what the inspector has to say.
 
bbhaag

bbhaag

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Jul 2, 2011
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pete6032 said:
I'm having someone come out and inspect it next week. It was $80. I know its an older furnace so we'll see what the inspector has to say.
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Yeah not a bad idea man especially considering you just moved in. I felt the same way that's why I had ours done this year.
 
PowerEngineer

PowerEngineer

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Oct 22, 2001
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bbhaag said:
Yeah not a bad idea man especially considering you just moved in. I felt the same way that's why I had ours done this year.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think this makes good sense. But IMHO inspections do not need to become an annual ritual. The high-efficiency gas furnance that we've been using for thirty years as a backup to a heat pump is pretty thoroughly fail safed against serious problems with gas pressure, combustion exhaust fans, and heat exchanger leaks. I just pay closer attention as the autumn nights get cooler to be sure that the gas furnace actually does kick in as it should. Twice it didn't because the igniter (somewhat like a small stovetop heating element) failed "open", so we had to get that replaced. We also replaced the blower motor once when it started squeaking. And the only time our heat pump has failed was when we had someone come out to do an inspection and refrigerant recharge on it. Lesson learned... 🙄
 
mindless1

mindless1

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Aug 11, 2001
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Yes it does not need to happen every year in most cases, but the older it gets, the more often it is good to check it yourself and move closer to an annual schedule of a pro checking it.

In some cases like very dirty air and especially if you leave the fan always running, it may need cleaned out annually. The filter can only do so much, if it is doing a great job then it is reducing airflow a lot which puts more stress on the burner and increases fungus on the coils/drip-tray.

Though seldom done by the owner or a service tech, motors can usually be relubed even if there is no lube port and some disassembly is required. This can make a motor last practically forever. There's usually a felt filled reservoir cavity at both ends and adding a ~couple milliliters of light oil can keep it going for 5+ years, "if" this happens before it wears too much from dry bushings.
 
pete6032

pete6032

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Dec 3, 2010
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Well the inspector came and said everything looked good, he noticed a small tick in the ignition motor when the furnace would start up (think that was it) and he said it is liable to go out at some point given the age of the furnace but he did not recommend replacing it. He also showed me where air was leaking in the furnace closet and where to put metal tape to make it more efficient. We talked a bit out replacing the system eventually and then he was on his way.
 
WharffRat

WharffRat

Member
Nov 28, 2020
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I have my oil furnace with hot water baseboard checked yearly. It also heats my hot water, so it runs all year long.
It is about 12 years old. In fact just had service call 2 weeks ago to replace the pressure release value and overflow tank.
 
MtnMan

MtnMan

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Jul 27, 2004
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Greenman said:
Hey!! Monoxide and dioxide are practically the same thing.
Jeeze, a guy's off by one little atom and gets called on the carpet.
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OMG NO! monoxide will effing kill you. It renders your blood incapable of carrying oxygen to the cells in your body.
 
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