A furnace tune-up is a way of saying maintenance service. Just like service for your car, a tune-up maintenance will keep your furnace working properly. Tune-ups should only be done by trained and qualified heating technicians.

Seattle furnaces can run nine months of the year. Based on the average temperatures in our area, if you compared running your furnace to a car it would get the equivalent of 1.8 million miles over its expected lifespan of 15 years. Your heating system will work hard for you, but like your car, doing routine and regular maintenance will keep it running smoothly, avoid problems, and keep your warranty intact.

Similar to automotive service types, a furnace repair service appointment is geared at diagnosing and fixing a problem with your heating equipment. A technician will come to your home, perform a diagnostic check of your equipment and identify the issues and solutions. Any repairs will cost extra.

A maintenance service is done on a healthy system to proactively ensure it continues to be running smoothly. During the maintenance all of the system components are checked and adjusted to ensure they are working properly.

There are several reasons why you might experience an extra noisy furnace. To find out which one of the following is true for your home, call for a furnace service appointment or fill out the request service form. This is a diagnostic service call, not a maintenance issue.

Heating equipment and ductwork make noise as they heat and cool, and as the heat comes on and off. A boom, rattle, hum or fan noise is common. But more significant noise complaints about furnaces can indicate other issues:

• If your furnace is inside the house, it may be located in an area that is magnifying the sound it makes – such as under a staircase. Often moving the furnace to another part of the house can reduce that noise. You may find that it’s in an area that was previously occupied by another older type of furnace, and you never heard those sounds from that one. Please keep in mind that modern furnaces are built differently – with multiple speeds and stages – which may create different sounds and require more airflow than your old ductwork has available. If the furnace doesn’t get enough air, it gets cranky.

• Furnace is making more noise because it’s turning on and off more frequently. It may need repair, may not have been sized properly to fit the needs of your house, or may not have the airflow available that it needs from the ducts. The ducts are most often the culprit. Sometimes adding a cold air return can solve this. Ensure your vents are all open. If you are closing off vents in your house this can contribute to the issue.

• Furnace just started making noise after running quietly for years. This is a sign of an aging furnace or a potential mechanical problem. If you also smell a burnt odor, please call for service.

• Furnace is humming loudly and it didn’t use to. The vibrations in the furnace may have jogged something loose (a screw perhaps), which is vibrating. It may also be an early indicator of a problem with the motor.

• Ductwork is also part of your heating system and the humming or rattling noises can come from a loose duct. Ducts can be reinforced and made tighter to reduce vibration noise.

If furnace noise is bothering you, call for a service appointment today.

• Check your thermostat – make sure it’s ON.
• Furnace is not producing heat – try to reset home circuit breaker.
• Furnace is not producing enough heat – check and change your clogged filter.
• Check your safety switch on your furnace door – a furnace door safety switch prevents the fan and burner from coming on while the access panel is removed.
• Ensure the area around your furnace is clean and unobstructed – this will prevent additional dust to accumulate and also help to prevent unexpected fires.
• Check the burner flame – do you see a flame at all? You will want to have your burners inspected to make sure they are free from debris.
• Check your limit switch – a bad limit switch could cause the blower to run continuously, and as a result, it will significantly shorten the lifespan of the blower.

• Check your A/C – make sure it’s turned on.
• Do the filters need replacing?
• Check your thermostat  – if your thermostat is not working or if it is incorrectly calibrated, it may not tell the air conditioner to turn on. First, make sure that the temperature setting on the thermostat is set below (or lower than) the indoor temperature showing on the thermostat.
• Check to make sure the blower door on the air handler is securely closed.
• Check that all switches in and around the air conditioner are set on, including the external safety switch usually near the condensing unit.
• Check to make sure the circuit breakers at the electrical panel are on.
• Check the outdoor unit “disconnect switch” to make sure it is in the “ON” position. The disconnect switch is located near the outdoor unit.
• Check the Safety Shut Off Switch (it looks like a light switch) located at or near the furnace to be sure it is in the “ON” position.
• Check all return air grilles and supply air registers to make sure they are not blocked by furniture and to make sure they are open and blowing air.