Heating System Inspection Checklist and Problems – Part 1 of 2

Whether you’re buying or selling a house or simply maintaining your equipment for the year or season, a heating system inspection is one of the more sensible and important investments you can make in your Rhode Island home. But what should a home heating system inspection include, and what might problems might your inspector encounter along the way?

In this first of a two-part post, we’ll take a look at some of the more common areas that your heating system technician should check during an inspection; in Part 2, we’ll take a look at some common issues he may find in the process.

What should a heating system inspector check?

A typical inspection will begin by looking for key problems in your heating system. Your technician should:

• Check the heat exchanger – Heat exchangers are devices that enable heat from one fluid to transfer to another fluid without the two fluids coming into contact. If the heat exchanger isn’t working properly, your heating system will lose efficiency and won’t be able to produce heat consistently.
• Check for soot deposits – Soot build-up in your heating system can also rob it of efficiency. If he finds soot, your inspector should conduct a nozzle inspection; if the nozzles are dirty, they should be replaced.
• Check/change the air filter – A clogged air filter makes your heating system work harder than it should to heat your home; that will lead not only to inefficiency issues, but also to preventable heating system repairs. In extreme cases, a clogged air filter can even cause a heating system failure.
• Check the furnace and thermostat – Before test-starting the furnace, a technician will verify that the thermostat is working and recording the correct room temperature. He should then test-start the furnace and make sure it responds to re-setting your thermostat. Your technician should also collect flue gas samples to test your system’s efficiency level, smoke content, oxygen count, and temperature consistency (our inspectors go far beyond this basic level of service – a big reason to choose Vaughn Oil for your heating system inspections).

Of course these are just some of the important items to check out; other tasks that should be part of an inspection include:

• Cleaning your system’s burners
• Inspecting all safety switches
• Cleaning, inspecting, and possibly lubricating the system’s blower motors
• Checking fan belts for any signs of cracking or breakage

Once your inspection is complete, it’s a good idea to talk to your inspector so you can understand the state of your system and make a go-forward maintenance plan. Or you can simply become a Vaughn Oil customer and get a Vaughn Oil Annual Equipment Service Report Card, which details all these points in writing for you.

In Part II of this blog, we’ll talk about some of the problems your technician might uncover as he inspects your system. Stay tuned!

For expert oil-fired heating system service and inspections for your Rhode Island home, trust the pros at Vaughn Oil. Contact us to schedule your heating system inspection today.