With the busyness of life, we can sometimes forget about ensuring all our HVAC systems are in tip-top shape. Whether it’s your furnace or air conditioner, an annual cleaning is necessary to maintain their efficiency and longevity. You don’t want to be in the position where you either need to repair your furnace or replace your furnace.
When determining how often you should clean your furnace, consider how many people and pets reside in your home. Also, when you’re thinking about how long your furnace will last – consider the age of your furnace. With all that in mind, we recommend requesting a furnace clean once every year.
How Do I Know If My Furnace Needs Cleaning?
No one wants to come home to a furnace that’s stopped working. Identifying these signs that suggest your furnace needs cleaning will save you from having to replace a broken furnace.
Dust & Debris
Over time, everything gets dirty if we don’t clean them, and furnaces are no exception. An accumulation of dust, hair, dead skin and dirt should be your first indicator you need your furnace cleaned. This buildup can result in a multitude of issues, including your furnace making loud noises.
Look at the outside of your vents and check for any trapped hair or dust in the frame. It’s also crucial that you inspect your air filter monthly. If it has an immense amount of dust and debris, replace your air filter and recheck it in a few days. If your new air filter has rapidly gained more dirt and debris, you need to get your furnace cleaned.
High Energy Bills
Wonder why your energy bills are sky-high, but you haven’t been using your furnace more than usual? With a buildup of dirt in areas of your furnace, it will begin to overwork, producing more energy and resulting in little heat.
Yellow Furnace Flames
Your furnace’s flames should be a blue colour. Seeing yellow or orange flames inside your furnaces is a sign the combination of oxygen and gas isn’t correct. Yellow flames mean you either have a dirty flame sensor or a dirty burner. A dirty flame sensor can also cause your furnace to cycle through “on” and “off” too frequently.
If yellow flames occur, cleaning your furnace needs to be done immediately. By avoiding the issue, your furnace could result in producing a carbon monoxide leak.
Is Furnace Tune-Up & Cleaning Worth It?
Absolutely! Cleaning your furnace (as well as your air conditioning) will save you money, time and keep your family safe.
The primary responsibility of furnace cleaning is to prevent your furnace from breaking, saving you money on repairs, parts, or, worse, a new furnace. An annual clean will remove any dirt and debris that has built up throughout the year. A furnace clean also gives the technician an indication of any future issues that may occur in your furnace. Ultimately, it prepares your furnace for harsh winters!
Conducting a furnace clean can also maintain your furnace’s energy efficiency. If you’re even wondering if a furnace tune-up is worth it, did you know a furnace cleaning and tune-up will improve your energy efficiency by an average of 8%? A clean will also prevent any wear and tear, maintaining the longevity and efficiency of your furnace.
Not only do furnace cleanings save you on repairing your furnace, but they can also prevent hazardous occurrences. A carbon monoxide leak can occur when a crack begins to develop in the heat exchanger or flue pipes. These cracks can develop when there is dust and debris buildup in your air filters, putting pressure on your furnace to overwork.
Not cleaning your furnace can also affect your home’s air quality. If dirt and debris have time to buildup in your furnace’s air filters, you’ll need an air duct cleaning too. The hot air produced from your furnace will carry the dirty fragments through your air ducts and into your home. This buildup will result in poor indoor air quality.
How Long Does It Take To Clean A Furnace?
On average, a furnace cleaning will take 1.5 to 2 hours to professionally clean. But depending on the condition of the furnace, the size of the home extra time may be required to clean your furnace fully.
A furnace cleaning and tune-ups includes:
- Inspect and clean heat exchanger for cracks or blocking. You may notice stinky furnace smells.
- Inspect and clean flue pipes
- Ensure natural gas pressure is set to the manufacturer’s specification
- Test and ensure all safety controls are working properly
- Inspect and replace air filters
- Create a written assessment of your furnace’s status
Stay Protected With Ottawa Home Services
We encourage all our customers to request annual furnace maintenance, saving you an arm and a leg – literally and figuratively.
Our team is prepared to answer any furnace questions you may have. Their extensive knowledge and experience make the Ottawa Home Services team second to none. If you’re looking to get your furnace cleaned, we suggest you check out our furnace protection plan.
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