Gas Furnace Inspection Checklist: Homeowners Must Know!

Every fall, I have the inevitable task of having to prep my house, yard, and pool for the cold weather. It’s usually been a fun but exhausting summer, one that goes by way too fast, and then all of a sudden there I am contemplating the cold weather ahead and everything I have to do to prep for it.

To be totally honest, there’s always a moment where I just stare into space with no idea where to start. But, I have a secret weapon: a checklist. That’s right, each year I make a checklist of things like drain the pool, rake the yard, cover the AC unit and so on and so on and so on yet again. That checklist turns an overwhelming project into actionable tasks that I can easily wrap my head around.

Checklists work the same way for homeowners who need to handle the annual maintenance on their gas furnaces. I know that, for folks who don’t work on furnaces all the time, it can seem like a really heavy lift. That’s why today I want to share with you an easy gas furnace inspection checklist so you can get it all taken care of, one easy task at a time, just like I do with my house and yard.

The Homeowner’s Gas Furnace Inspection Checklist

There’s something so exciting about the fall—but with that excitement usually comes a feeling of overwhelm. With that in mind, I’m going to do my darndest not to overwhelm you with this gas furnace inspection checklist.

Instead of making a list of 20 items that require a lot of gas furnace expertise to understand, I’m going to keep things simple and manageable so that you feel empowered to get your furnace in gear for the fall and winter months ahead.

Here is my simple fall gas furnace inspection checklist:

• Clean it up: During the summer months when it isn’t in use, your furnace, if it’s anything like mine, accumulates a lot of dust and debris around it that can impair its performance. Grab your vacuum and suck up all the stuff around the base of the furnace to ensure proper air flow. You’ll also want to dust all of the heat vents in your home so that they don’t suck dust into your furnace and clog it up.
• Check the filter: I know a lot of folks who put changing their furnace filter off until the fall, only to forget about it all together and run into problems. Checking your filter and changing it out every two months is necessary for the health and longevity of your furnace. Not only can clogged, dirty filters be a fire hazard, but they also make your furnace much less efficient. Do your furnace a favor and make regular filter changes a priority. Or, if you really just aren’t the type to remember to change your filter every few months, arrange for an HVAC maintenance expert to do it for you. That way, you don’t even have to think about it.
• Inspect your thermostat: Sometimes homeowners mistake problems with their thermostat for problems with their furnace. Before you start your furnace up in the fall, check to make sure your thermostat is working properly. If needed, change out the batteries. I’d also recommend investing in a smart thermostat if you don’t already have one because you can pre-program it for maximum home comfort and optimal energy efficiency.
• Run your furnace and monitor its performance: Once you’ve given the area around your furnace a good dusting, swapped out your filter, and checked to see that your thermostat is running properly, it’s time to turn on your furnace and see how it’s running. Pay attention to any odd smells and sounds. Make sure it isn’t blowing cold air or short cycling. If it does seem to be acting oddly, shut it off immediately and call an HVAC pro to come and have a look at it.
• Create a maintenance plan: I’m of the mind that homeowners shouldn’t wait until they notice something wrong with their furnace to call an HVAC pro. After all, nobody likes to have a faulty furnace in the middle of the chilly winter months. Instead, it’s a good idea to be proactive about the health of your gas furnace by setting up annual furnace maintenance before you crank up the heat for the winter.

Leave Furnace Maintenance to the Pros This Fall

Annual furnace maintenance is essential to keeping your furnace healthy and strong for as long as possible. It’s also the best and easiest way to prevent problems from popping up during the fall and winter months when it’s working its hardest.

At Bell Brothers, our trained HVAC professionals offer a complete, 30-point furnace tune-up during the fall months to prepare your furnace to run optimally, efficiently, and safely all winter long. Our maintenance checklist is incredibly thorough, and includes the following:

• An air filter test and change
• A system diagnostic test
• A fan inspection
• Pilot light checks
• A full safety inspection

The best part is that with annual furnace maintenance you don’t even have to worry about the above inspection checklist because the HVAC maintenance people will do all of that for you.

Let’s face it, you’ve got enough to worry about in the fall, so why not take furnace inspection off of your plate and hand it over to the pros to take care of? That way, you can rest assured that your furnace will be in tip-top shape to keep your warm this chilly season.

At Bell Brothers, our trained HVAC professionals would be happy to perform maintenance on your gas furnace this fall so that it will run efficiently all winter long. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation.

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Image courtesy Unsplash user Michael Mroczek