How often should I have my heat pump serviced?

You should have your heat pump serviced at least once a year. If you use your heat pump for heating and cooling, you should service it twice annually, in the fall and the spring.

What is the life span of a heat pump?

The average life span of a heat pump is 10-15 years. Because heat pumps run year-round to heat and cool your home, they don’t always last as long as a typical heating or cooling system. However, you can extend the life span by ensuring that your unit is routinely maintained by an HVAC professional.

20-Point Checklist for Our Fall Heating Tune-Up

A heating tune-up may be the last thing on your mind right after summer, but the outdoor temperatures are soon to take a considerable dip, and it’s important you make sure you are prepared for the season ahead. One of the best ways to prep for fall is with a heating tune-up from Raynor Electric. Our licensed technicians can provide heating maintenance checks to ensure your furnace doesn’t cost you too much on energy bills, frequently break down, and provides enough warm air to keep you comfortable during the colder months. Without a tune-up, you may even put the safety of your family at risk due to heightened chances of carbon monoxide exposure and residential fires.

Benefits of a Heating Tune-Up

At Raynor Electric, we advise that you seek a heating tune-up right before the fall begins. This way, you will avoid the hardships associated with a faulty furnace and be able to enjoy the season much more. Our team of licensed technicians are dedicated toward providing you the best customer service possible. We put your heating needs before anything else so any existing issues with your furnace are fixed long before the first bout of chilly weather of the season. Our technicians will move quickly in getting your furnace up and ready. In fact, their work will extend the lifespan of your furnace by years.

20 Points of Inspection during Our Heating Tune-Up

Our tune-up service is extensive. We want to make sure no area of the furnace goes undetected to ensure even the smallest issues are fixed before they grow much worse. However, many homeowners are often unaware of our heating maintenance procedures. These are the 20 points of the inspection our technicians will generally follow:

Areas of Inspection

The burner: Though the burner is responsible for mixing air and fuel, it will eventually stop working properly due to contaminant buildup. If this applies to your furnace’s burner, our technicians will make the effort to clean out the buildup to ensure better operation.
The combustion chamber: Much like the burner, the combustion chamber can also suffer due to contaminant buildup that will need to be cleaned out by one our technicians to ensure the best possible performance.
The heat exchanger: This is the most important component of your furnace, as it is responsible for transferring heat and distributing it throughout the house. It needs to be inspected to ensure they are no blockages that could otherwise prevent the system from working efficiently.
The flue: This component is responsible for the ventilation of the furnace. Even a duct or pipe experiences a slight blockage, this will allow for contaminants or the products of combustion to build up within the furnace, preventing it from working efficiently. Our technician will closely examine it to ensure the flue is not blocked in any way.
The belt: The belt in your furnace may be susceptible to cracking or loosening. This will require the licensed technician to perform tests to ensure there is no damage or that the belt is not out of alignment.
The gas line: As you may know, a gas leak is a serious issue that needs to be fixed immediately. Fortunately, our technicians make gas line checks an important part of the tune-up process, so even the smallest leaks will be detected and repaired before they put the safety of your family at risk.
The safety controls: Features like pressure alarms and shut-off valves need to be inspected to ensure they are doing their job in preserving your safety. Remember: safety should always come first, especially with your furnace.

Adjustments

Fan control: Adjusting the fan will do wonders for the efficiency of your furnace, allowing to distribute heat uninterrupted. It will make for better air flow as well so you can enjoy a steadier flow of warm air.
Thermostats: Our technicians will ensure that the thermostat for your furnace is set at a temperature that will keep the whole family comfortable.
The pilot light: The pilot light is crucial in ensuring your furnace turns on properly, so it is important for a technician to adjust it. A technician will also check the color of the pilot light, as yellow will indicate traces of carbon monoxide in the house.
Electrical connections: Wiring on the furnace may be loose or frayed, resulting in safety hazards like shocks and electrical fires. A technician will determine if any electrical connections to your furnace will need to be tightened in order to ensure safe, effective performance.

Maintenance Work

Replacing the thermocouple: The thermocouple will measure temperature within the furnace but it will require replacement if it is no longer working, as it does prove one of the leading causes of furnace failure.
Lubricating moving parts: The components require a proper amount of lubrication to ensure the furnace works smoothly and efficiently.
Cleaning or replacing filters: Air filters in your furnace can become clogged with dirt and debris, which can disrupt air flow and lower system efficiency. Filters will need to be replaced by a technician to ensure better performance.
Cleaning blower components: Similar to filters, it is important to clean blower components for better air flow and greater efficiency so you are still receiving heat without the additional energy costs.
Testing combustion air openings: For proper combustion, the air openings need to be tested to ensure it is experiencing no blockages that will disrupt its air flow.
Testing the manifold: Since the manifold ensures gas will flow from the source to the burners, it needs to be tested to ensure the flow of gas within the furnace is uninterrupted.
Checking noises: Any crashing or banging noises with your furnace may indicate a problem with the furnace’s internal components. A technician will get the root of the sound and make any necessary repair.
Cleaning vestibule interior: The interior of the vestibule, the area of the furnace where air is locked between the inner furnace components and the outer door, will need to be cleaned out if there is any contaminant buildup.
Conducting operational test: Once the tune-up is all set and done, the technician will turn on the furnace to conduct a test-run to ensure everything in the process has been done correctly.