Once the dog days of August come to an end most homeowners get an opportunity to shut down the central air condition for a couple of months before its time to fire up the furnace. This time gives the homeowner a break on high energy bills but just as importantly it allows time to call in a heating repair contractor in Mount Prospect to perform system maintenance on the gas furnace.

Of course you know the furnace fan worked OK because it also works with your air condoning system but knowing the fan is fine does not mean that the rest of the system is fine as well. Waiting for the first morning when the temperature takes a nose dive is no time to find out that when you switch the thermostat over to heat that nothing happens.

There are some basic observations that the homeowner can make but other than that a professional heating repair contractor in Mount Pleasant should be brought in. As the owner you can certainly conduct a visual inspection of the furnace, this is actually quite important to do before you even think of firing it up. Most furnaces are located in areas of the home that don’t get much attention so things can happen during the off season. Have a good look, does the furnace appear to be OK, are there any panels missing or hanging open, does it appear that the incoming gas line is secure and do the duct joints look to be secure?

If the furnace appears to be OK then you can probably be safe to starting it. Don’t be overly concerned if the furnace moans and groans when you first start it, the metal will expand and creak as it heats up for the first time in a long time. Only the older gas furnaces have standing pilot lights, if this is the case then you may need to light it. If your gas furnace is so old that it has a standing pilot, you may want to think about replacing it, this is a great time to get estimates on a replacement.

A visual examination is about all the homeowner can do, anything else should be done by a professional and professional inspections annually are highly recommended whether you think your furnace is in good shape or not. Having a thorough inspection means that you can comfortably expect your gas furnace to perform well all heating season long. Click webstie url for more information.