How Often Should a Gas Furnace Be Serviced? A NJ Tech Explains

Your gas furnace should be serviced once a year—ideally right before heating season.

Why? Well, getting annual gas furnace tune-ups prevents:

• Higher-than-normal monthly heating bills 
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• A voided warranty

Let’s take a closer look at how annual gas furnace maintenance benefits you.

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Annual gas furnace maintenance prevents…

1. Higher-than-normal monthly heating bills

According to Energy.gov, yearly tune-ups improve your furnace’s efficiency. And the more efficient your system is, the less money you have to spend to keep your home comfortable.

For example, during a normal maintenance check, a professional should lubricate all moving parts of your gas furnace. This reduces friction between those moving parts, which ultimately means that your furnace needs less electricity for operation. A professional will also check for problems such as clogged filters or soot buildup that can force your system to work harder and longer (meaning higher energy bills).

Check out Energy.gov’s maintenance checklist for a list of all the tasks that should be performed by a professional during a gas furnace tune-up.

2. Carbon monoxide poisoning

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), an annual inspection of your gas furnace helps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home.

You see, during routine maintenance, one of the first things a professional will do is to check that your gas furnace is:

1. Burning gas properly
2. Venting combustion gases properly (outside your home)

If your gas furnace isn’t burning or venting gas properly, it can lead to carbon monoxide buildup in your home. And because humans can’t see or smell this lethal gas, poisoning due to a buildup of carbon monoxide in your home is a huge risk. In fact, over 400 Americans die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

3. A voided warranty

Most gas furnace manufacturers require you to have your furnace maintained once a year, otherwise they will void your warranty.

For example, from Trane’s base limited warranty:

“...Trane U.S., Inc. (“Company) extends a limited warranty against manufacturing defects for the products…that are installed in a residential/multi-family application (personal, family or household purposes) under normal use and maintenance in the United States and Canada”

And from Carrier:

“Carrier Corporation (hereinafter “Company”) warrants this product against failure due to defect in materials or workmanship under normal use and maintenance…”

So what exactly do manufacturer’s consider “normal” when it comes to maintenance? 

Well, according to most manufacturers, “normal” maintenance means a service visit that: 

• Occurs once a year
• Is written and recorded (you must have proof of each maintenance visit)
• Is performed by a licensed HVAC professional
• Is more than just a visual inspection

If you don’t satisfy the above requirements, you run the risk of having your furnace manufacturer voiding your warranty when you need an expensive repair.

Need professional gas furnace maintenance? Ask a NJ tech

If you’re ready to get your gas furnace maintained before heating season, contact us.

We provide one-time maintenance visits as well as maintenance plans that cover both your AC and furnace tune ups with a single low price.
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Related reading:

• What’s the Cost to Install a Gas Furnace in New Jersey?
• Why Is My Furnace Leaking Water?