Between professional lawn care and raking, you probably do a good deal of work to prep your yard for cooler temps. Inside your home, your furnace is similar. It also needs tune-ups to keep it heating correctly during the fall and winter.

But how frequently should you maintain your furnace in Cedar Rapids? What if it’s new? Or heating well? Is maintenance needed then? Let’s review why furnace maintenance is important and how often you should schedule it.

Why Furnace Maintenance Is Essential

Your furnace is essential to keeping your home comfortable during cold temps. When it’s well-maintained, you’ll get reliable, efficient warmth. If you regularly skip maintenance, your furnace can become dirty. This can cause your furnace to work48} more and, because of that, increase your utility costs. Skipping tune-ups can also result in your furnace breaking down, sticking you with costly repair bills that could have been preventable in a lot of situations.

One of the most important tasks you can do without help is frequently replacing your furnace’s air filter. When your filter gets dusty, your furnace may start taking action by doing something known as short cycling, where it turns on and off more frequently to prevent overheating. Apart from the fact that this affects your gas costs, it also reduces your furnace’s lifetime since it’s on more frequently.

If you have a flat filter, we suggest putting in a new one at least monthly. Pleated filters can last up to three months. A simple way to determine whether you need to replace your filter is by pulling it out and holding it up to the light. If you don’t see light through it, it’s time to get a fresh one.

However, how frequently you should replace your filter is contingent upon how frequently your furnace runs, if you have pets and if anyone in your household deals with allergies. The Ilten's techs can assist you if you’re unsure how frequently you should replace your filter or what the right model is for your home.

How Often You Should Schedule Furnace Maintenance

We suggest scheduling furnace maintenance in Cedar Rapids once a year, ideally during the time between air conditioning and heating season. This will give you a head start just in case you require any repairs and will verify you get stress-free heating during the winter. It also keeps your manufacturer’s warranty ongoing, which is essential if you have a new furnace.

Other than getting a new air filter and keeping your register grates clean, we don’t recommend doing furnace maintenance without professional help. Your furnace is a complicated appliance that requires assistance from a heating and cooling pro. All our friendly Ilten's techs have gone through in-depth education to better help you. They’re also totally licensed and insured, giving you peace of mind that your furnace is in great hands.

Here are some of services we’ll complete on our maintenance visit:

  • Check crucial parts of your furnace, including the heat exchanger, blower and burner.
  • Clean the interior of your furnace, as well as the flame sensor, burner and blower.
  • Inspect the flue to confirm it’s venting properly.
  • Evaluate complete furnace performance for safety and top heating.

Now is an excellent time to book your furnace maintenance appointment with Ilten's. Our experts are here to help you enjoy a worry-free winter with energy-efficient heating. Contact us at 319-208-2351 to set your appointment right away, and remember to check our offers for special discounts on your upcoming maintenance appointment.