Furnace Preventive Maintenance and Safety Testing.

Gas Furnace Preventive maintenance

Performing annual preventive maintenance on your homes gas furnace is an important step to confirm proper furnace operation and safety. A gas furnace is a fuel burning appliance responsible for maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature during the colder winter months. Typically the furnace is located in the garage, closet, attic or crawlspace of a home. The furnace burns a fuel source of Natural Gas or LP, converting the fuel source into heat energy and distributing it through out your home in an air duct system.

Important testing performed during Furnace Preventive Maintenance

Some of the important testing our techs perform during a furnace service or preventive maintenance is a gas leak test, total static pressure test, combustion analysis and ambient CO testing. This is performed along with replacing the air filter, cleaning the flame sensor and performing an inspection in the blower and burner compartment.

Gas leak detection

One of the first important steps of a furnace service is to perform an electronic gas leak detection. Our tech will perform this test to insure there is no natural gas leaks present either within the furnace burner compartment or gas line running up to the furnace. If a small gas leak is detected we will offer proper repair options to the homeowner. Some gas leaks can go unnoticed for years, especially if they are located in a well ventilated garage or attic.

Total Static Pressure test

A total static pressure test is performed on the return and supply side of the gas furnace. This test shows our techs the static pressure reading of the air ducts and indicates if there is an issue with the air duct system. This test will show us if an air duct system is undersized or oversized for the specific Heating system as well as indicate if there is an internal blockage. An internal blockage can be caused by insulation liner that has peeled off of the inside wall and folder over, causing a major air restriction. If the air duct is undersized or a blockage occurs, this could cause the gas furnace to run hotter and the blower motor to fail prematurely due to an air restriction.

combustion analysis

Combustion analysis is performed by our techs on every furnace maintenance call. This test is performed using a combustion analyzer that samples the combustion gases leaving the furnace. The test insures that the flame inside of the burner is operating at a properly adjusted air fuel mixture to insure the burners are not over firing or under firing. A furnace that has an over firing condition will result in premature heat exchanger failure because the heat exchanger is now under a hotter stress load then what the manufacturer had designed for.

If a furnace is suspected to have a cracked heat exchanger, a combustion analysis is a great test to confirm whether there is a crack or hole in the heat exchanger. Manufacturers are now starting to require a combustion analysis test before they will warranty a cracked heat exchanger.

Flue draft is another important test performed with combustion analysis. If the exhaust vent has an obstruction or is plugged, this can cause Carbon Monoxide to spill out from the furnace into the home or living space. Combustion analysis will confirm that the vent is properly sized with no obstructions to insure proper venting of exhaust gases to outside.

Ambient CO testing

While the furnace is being tested in heating mode, another test our tech will perform is an ambient Carbon Monoxide reading inside of your home and near the furnace. This test confirms that the furnace is not leaking CO into the living occupied space during heating mode or spilling CO around the furnace. Carbon Monoxide is an odorless and tasteless gas caused by incomplete combustion and is detected by an electronic CO meter.

CONCLUSION

Performing a Furnace preventive maintenance annually is recommended by manufacturers to help ensure the furnace is operating within specifications and is safe for both the building and its occupants. This was just a very brief explanation going over the testing our company and techs perform to help to help prepare your gas furnace for the heating season as well as confirm the safety to occupants.

If you are looking for a Furnace service or Preventive maintenance in the Gresham or Portland area give us a call!

This Blog is written by Anton Bocharov (Owner) of A&B Air Solutions LLC.