When is the last time you had your furnace and air conditioning checked?
It’s no different than regular checks on your car folks! In order for these machines to work properly and last a long time, they need preventive maintenance on a consistent basis.
We have been in our custom built home for 5 years now and I’m slightly embarrassed to say that we haven’t had a tune up until now! Well, think about it, it’s a brand new house, it should be good for a while right? Not always folks, not always…
The technician from Reliance Superior showed up exactly when he said he would, he had called 30 minutes earlier to let me know he would arrive within 30 minutes. Gold star number one!
Rob T entered the lobby and greeted me and introduced himself. He advised exactly what he’d be doing and approximately how long the visit would take. Great first impression to me!
Rob noticed the huge windows we have in our great room and pointed out that on a hot day it’s smart that we keep the blinds closed because of the crazy amount of heat we can get from the Southern exposure. He then noticed the thermostat/control panel for the heating and cooling. It was approximately 26 degrees celsius outside and our air conditioning was set to cool to 24 degrees, to which he advised we should change it to 22 just to get a quicker cool down. Another great tidbit from Rob T:
“On your thermostat, keep the fan on, it saves the life of the fan motor and is helping to clean the air consistently. It also helps with pushing cooler air upstairs (where it is the warmest).”
And that my friends was to step 1 of the 21 point tune up – Check Thermostat! Pretty thorough right? This is why the service call was close to two hours long!
We headed downstairs to the furnace (or the boiler room as my kids called it when they were younger). This is where the tune up gets a lot more detailed.
Rob noticed that the filters we have been using are the “expensive ones” and can be too restrictive on our air flow. When he removed the filter to show me, he could see that it was already bowing from the air flow. His suggestion?
“Buy cheaper ones and change more frequently (i.e.monthly).”
Rather than write a novel for ya, I shall wow you with pictures! Ok, well maybe not “wow”, but it will help you to visualize what I’m describing!
Time to check the line set to the outside unit – it/refrigerant was slightly warm
Moisture coming out means unit is working fine
Temperature prods to test humidity and temperature – one for upstairs 
Vents next to windows should be kept open (this one wasn’t before the pic!)
Normally in a great room this big you would/should have a ceiling fan to circulate the air.
Air coming out of the vents is very good
it would be best to have a ceiling fan in the bedroom as well (it’s also the other warm room in the house)
The temperature coming out of the vent is approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is still rising at approx 70%.
Rob advised that the moisture level is slightly high in the house, and that we need to move the air more around the house.
QUICK WATER BREAK
Rob and I grabbed water and chatted a bit because, well, you know me, I have a passion for people and need to know their stories!
I asked Rob how he came to be a furnace technician and he told me that about 7 years ago, he was laid off and his own furnace failed, so he fixed it himself, and has been fixing them ever since ( with applicable training of course).
Both Rob and I are chatters so we shared many a joke while he was conducting the tune up but the best part was when I asked him what he loved most about his job. His response?
“I love meeting and learning about my clientele, I’m helping people from every economic stage and it’s very rewarding.”
Time to shut down the furnace and check it out! Safety first of course.
Open up furnace
Rob told me a quick story about a client who lived in a very expensive home but had the worst furnace ever, and even with Rob’s recommendations, refused to pay the money to swap it out for a better one! Crazy eh?
Because our furnace is completely sealed, Rob had to cut a hole in the sheet metal to assess it.
This folks, is the inside of a very clean furnace! Yay us!
Rob said he could tell our unit is working well because of the moisture in the coils.
Rob then patched up the hole and moved on to the next item in the tune up checklist.
The most important part to clean is the flame sensor.
Clean with a piece of green emery cloth
Rob says it would save customers hundreds of dollars if folks knew to get this part of their furnace cleaned!
Next up: testing the blow motor
Now for the real deal – testing the heating
Flames need to shoot straight – if they veer – it’s time for a new furnace as it could be a cracked heat exchanger – quick way to start a fire!
Temperature in the vents after heat turned on – 92 degrees coming out, which is enough to keep the house at temperature you really want
And finally, time to check the unit outside – here’s my air conditioning unit folks!
Quite clean compared to most he’s seen – rinse once a month in summer as the fluff makes the unit work hard
That was it folks! All done! Pretty thorough right?
I took as many notes as I could, but I’m sure I missed a few things! However, I have a copy of my tune-up to refresh my memory if I ever need to.
How would you like to win a 21 point Furnace and Air Conditioning Tune Up from Reliance Superior for your home (valued at approx $200)?
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Stay cool peeps! Or warm, whatever floats your boat!
Natalie
It’s more than time for a check up on our furnace. It’s been about 4 years. Lots of good tips. Thanks you.