Services
The October furnace visit
A technician takes the furnace apart far enough to see it, tests it through a full cycle and writes down what was found.
The visit is in October because that is when the furnace is still easy to fix and the parts are on the shelf. In January everyone calls at once.
Signs it needs a look sooner
A smell of dust or hot metal that does not fade after the first day of heating
The burner flame is yellow or orange instead of blue
The furnace starts, runs a minute and shuts off
A room that stays cold when the others are warm
A carbon monoxide alarm has gone off, even once
At the visit
What happens at the visit
- 01
Step 1: We arrive in the window we texted
A technician with a shoe cover set and a drop cloth. You do not need to be near the furnace; you do need someone to let us in.
- 02
Step 2: Read and run
Thermostat settings read back to you, then the furnace is run through a full cycle while we watch the burner and listen to the blower.
- 03
Step 3: Clean and test
Flame sensor cleaned, blower checked, flue and gas connections tested, limit and safety switches tested, carbon monoxide read at the furnace and at every alarm.
- 04
Step 4: The note
A written note with a line for each of the ten checks, the furnace's age and the readings. If a repair is needed, it is quoted in writing before any work starts.
The cost
What moves the cost
No dollar figures here: the plan covers the visit, and anything beyond it is quoted in writing first.
Fuel and input size
A gas furnace of one size is not the same job as another, and parts differ.
Venting
A flue that needs a new liner or a new run changes the work.
Age and parts
Older furnaces may need a part that has to be ordered.
Access
A furnace in a tight crawlspace takes longer than one in an open basement.
The heat exchanger
A crack is a replacement conversation, not a repair, and we show you what we found.
Gas line
A leak at a connection is repaired before anything else is.
Questions
Questions about this work
Do I need to be home?
Someone over 18 does, to let us in and to hear the note at the end.
How long does it take?
Plan on a morning or an afternoon window. The visit itself is about as long as a long lunch; the time we give you is the window for arriving.
What if you find something?
We stop, show you, and quote it in writing. Nothing is done until you say yes.
Put the furnace on the October list
Choose a plan and the visit is dated before the cold sets in.