Gas furnaces keep your home comfortable throughout the cold weather season with proper maintenance. A typical gas furnace can last for 20 years if it’s been well taken care of. If you’re asking yourself: “Do Gas Furnaces Need To Be Cleaned?” – the answer is yes! If you haven’t had yours cleaned in a few years, now is an excellent time to do so. Furnace cleanings can be performed during yearly maintenance on the unit.
If you’ve never had your furnace cleaned, it might be because you have an electric furnace. Electric furnaces don’t need to be cleaned like gas furnaces do. Whether you’re experiencing a problem with your heat, or you just want to have your furnace inspected as a preventative measure, call Edwards Royal Comfort for all your heating needs. We can educate you more about your HVAC system and how to keep it running smoothly for years to come.
What Are the Differences Between Gas and Electric Furnaces?
Electric furnaces are easier to install, and little maintenance is required. Electric furnaces tend to have a longer lifespan than gas furnaces, but electric furnaces are less heat efficient and cost more to run. Gas furnaces are great for colder climates because they can reliably heat your house on the coldest of days.
A gas furnace has a pilot light or an electronic ignition that ignites the main burner of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger draws heat from the main burner and heats the air that circulates throughout the house. An electric furnace uses an electric ignition and heats the elements inside the furnace, like an electric stove. In both furnaces, heated air is forced through the ductwork by a blower fan. When the desired temperature is reached, the furnaces shut off their heating elements. The fan dissipates the remaining heated air and then shuts off as well.
When Do Natural Gas Furnaces Need to Be Cleaned?
It’s a great idea to have your furnace cleaned annually as part of an overall furnace tune up. This is true for your air conditioner as well. Try to have your furnace cleaned in the fall before temperatures begin to drop, and have your air conditioner cleaned in the early spring before it becomes sweltering. These cleanings are preventative so that you stay comfortable in every season. Over 75% of no-heat calls are due to neglecting to maintain a gas furnace.
A furnace cleaning is part of overall maintenance that can be performed on the unit before cold weather arrives. During the service call, an HVAC technician will clean the following:
- The blower assembly
- The burners
- The pilot or electronic ignition
- The flame sensor
- The heat exchanger, if necessary
Stay on Top of Your Cleaning Schedule with Help from Edwards Royal Comfort
Many customers call Edwards Royal Comfort in the fall for their annual gas furnace cleaning and are surprised to hear that our first available appointment is later in the winter. Why? Because we’re cleaning furnaces all over Central Indiana. You can try to clean your furnace yourself, but it is a very messy job that if done incorrectly could cause a gas leak. An annual gas furnace cleaning usually costs less than $100, so doing it yourself might not be worth it.
Let Edwards Royal Comfort help keep you on top of your regular cleanings. Sign up for our service contract. We’ll book your annual cleanings for you so you never fall behind. If your furnace is particularly troublesome, we also offer quicker service and a discount on labor for our service contract members. Call Edwards Royal Comfort to learn more.
Call Edwards Royal Comfort to Learn More About Your Furnace
If you have a gas furnace that won’t kick on, or maybe an electric furnace that doesn’t heat your home well enough, call the experts at Edwards Royal Comfort for all your heating and cooling needs, including emergency service. Call Edwards Royal Comfort to ensure your home stays comfortable in every season.