It’s recommended you hire furnace service providers to service your furnace. This means you have to schedule time for them to come to your home and do the work. Unfortunately, like other Americans, you don’t have unlimited time. You want to squeeze them into your schedule then rush to your regular duties.

How long does it take to service a furnace? According to furnace experts, it takes between 1-2 hours, depending on your unit. This means that you don’t have to block the entire day for the furnace technician to service your appliance.

What does a typical furnace service involve?

The purpose of servicing the furnace is to identify any weak areas and fix them before they fail and become problematic. Some of the services involved include:

Filter cleaning

As much as they look useless, filters are the heart of the furnace. If clogged, they make the furnace function inefficiently, and you have a high-energy bill. To reduce your energy bill and worry that the furnace will grind to a halt in the middle of a cold night, the technician needs to clean the filter.

Most experienced technicians can access the filters and clean them within minutes.

If you have gone without cleaning the filters or replacing them for a long time, it will be better for the technician to replace them.

For peace of mind that the technician has done the right job, inspect the filters before replacement and ensure that they have a high energy star rating.

Heat exchanger inspection

A cracked heat exchanger can lead to poisonous gasses getting into the living space, which puts your family at the risk of inhaling the harmful gases and getting sick, or worse. The repair service provider will inspect the heat exchanger and ensure there are no cracks. If present, they will seal them or simply install a new exchanger.

Ductwork inspection

The ductwork has a significant impact on the efficiency of the furnace and your energy bill. If the ductwork has plenty of leaks or obstructions that would inhibit proper performance, the service provider seals them and removes the obstacles to ensure the ducts are functioning optimally and there are no leaks.

Thermostat inspection

The thermostat is the system’s brain, and when the brain isn’t functioning correctly, there is no way the furnace will be in good shape, isn’t it?

Experienced furnace contractors will carefully inspect the thermostat and ensure that it’s functioning properly. During the inspection, the contractor will look at the thermostat settings and ensure the unit is set correctly.

The contractor will also confirm the age of the thermostat. If more than 10 years, the contractor will replace it as chances are high it’s not working correctly.

Checking the burners

The contractor will check the burners to confirm they are burning efficiently. If they aren’t, the contractor will fix or replace them.

Furnace cleaning

Finally, the contractor will clean the furnace. To ensure that the furnace is functioning optimally, the contractor will clean both the indoor and outdoor units.

While at, they will clean the blower to ensure that the air is circulating properly in the house.

How do you know your furnace is ready for furnace service?

The beauty with furnaces is you don’t need to wait until they break down and stop working to tell that they need repair—they often give early signs.

One of the signs is the furnace making weird noises. Most homeowners ignore it when the furnace makes an unusual sound, but you shouldn’t as they are often a sign that your unit has a problem you should look into.

Another sign it’s time for service is the high energy bill. Has your power bill been going up yet you haven’t installed a new appliance? If it has been long since you gave attention to your appliance, it’s time to service it.

Work with experienced contractors.

For the contractor to do a clean job within the shortest time possible, you need to hire the right one. As a rule of thumb, don’t hire the first one that you come across. Instead, take your time to research and find furnace repair service Long Island professionals that have been around for some time and have repaired several appliances similar to yours.

You don’t want someone that will come to damage your appliance more than it already is, do you?