Technician checking an outdoor AC condenser with manifold gauges

Before You Turn On the Heat: A 10-Minute Furnace Maintenance Checklist

In Northern Virginia, the first cold nights tend to arrive all at once, and that’s when heating calls stack up. A furnace or heat pump that sat all summer is easier to check on a 65-degree afternoon than at 6 am with the house at 58 degrees. This furnace maintenance checklist covers what a homeowner can safely do without tools or opening any panels.

Your furnace maintenance checklist: 9 steps

Work through the steps in order. None of them involve gas, refrigerant or wiring. If a step turns up a problem, the note under it says whether it’s a quick fix or a call.

1. Change the air filter

Turn the system off at the thermostat, slide out the old filter and note the size printed on its frame. The new one goes in with the airflow arrow pointing toward the furnace or air handler. ENERGY STAR’s maintenance checklist says to inspect, clean or change filters once a month. A fresh filter is the cheapest thing you can do for airflow and comfort.

2. Check the thermostat batteries and settings

Put in fresh batteries if your thermostat uses them, even if the screen still looks fine. Switch the mode from COOL to HEAT and make sure the fan is on AUTO. Review your heating schedule, since summer settings won’t make sense in January, and confirm the clock is right so the schedule runs on time.

3. Clear around the furnace and the outdoor heat pump unit

Indoors, keep boxes, laundry and storage back from the furnace, and never keep gasoline, paint or solvents in the same room. Outdoors, a heat pump unit needs about 2 feet of open space on every side. Rake out leaves, trim back shrubs and pull out anything wedged against the coil. Don’t cover a heat pump for winter, because it runs all season.

4. Open the supply vents and clear the returns

Walk through the house and open every supply register you closed for summer. Closing too many vents raises pressure in the ducts and makes the system work harder. Then find the return grilles, the larger ones that pull air back to the system, and move any rugs, couches or curtains that block them.

5. Check the condensate drain

High-efficiency furnaces make water while they heat, and it drains through a plastic line or a small pump. ENERGY STAR lists the condensate drain as a regular check. Look for water on the floor, a cracked or kinked line, or a pump that doesn’t switch on. To test a pump, pour a cup of water into its reservoir and listen for it to run.

6. Test the carbon monoxide and smoke alarms

Press the test button on every alarm and replace batteries where needed. Check the date on the back of each unit, since alarms have a replacement age. The CPSC recommends CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Any home with a gas furnace, gas water heater or attached garage should have them.

7. Look at the flue and vent pipes

Follow the vent pipe from the top of the furnace to where it leaves the house. A metal flue should have tight joints with no rust holes, gaps or sagging sections. A PVC vent should have no cracked or separated joints. Outside, make sure the vent and intake openings aren’t blocked by leaves or nests. If a section is loose or disconnected, don’t run the furnace. Call a technician.

8. Test-run the heat before the first cold night

Set the thermostat a few degrees above room temperature and let the system run a full cycle, about 10 to 15 minutes. Warm air should reach the vents within a few minutes. A light dusty smell the first time is normal. If nothing happens, our post on a furnace not turning on walks through what to check.

9. Listen for odd noises

While it runs, stand near the furnace and the outdoor unit. A steady hum and airflow are normal. Rattling, squealing, grinding or a loud bang when the burners light are not. Neither is clicking that repeats without the heat starting. Note when the sound happens and tell the technician.

What a professional tune-up adds to your furnace maintenance checklist

Your furnace maintenance checklist covers what you can see and hear. A tune-up covers what’s behind the panels. ENERGY STAR recommends a heating check-up every fall. In general, a heating tune-up includes:

  • Checking gas connections, gas pressure and burner combustion
  • Inspecting the heat exchanger for cracks and corrosion
  • Testing the safety controls, including limit and pressure switches
  • Cleaning the flame sensor and checking the igniter
  • Tightening electrical connections and measuring voltage and current on motors
  • Checking the condensate drain, and on heat pumps, the defrost operation

Woodland’s heating tune-up is $99. Book it before the first freeze, when heating repair schedules fill up. If you have a heat pump, we also handle heat pump repair.

When to call a technician

  • The system won’t start or won’t make warm air during the test run
  • A vent pipe is loose, rusted through or disconnected
  • Water keeps backing up from the drain or pump
  • You hear banging, grinding or squealing
  • A burning smell lasts more than an hour, or your CO alarm sounds

Heating repair in Northern Virginia

If your checklist turns up a problem, it’s easier to fix in October than in January. Woodland handles heating repair across Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun and Fauquier counties, plus Arlington and Alexandria. We’re based in Woodbridge, so Woodbridge, Manassas, Dumfries and Lorton are usually same-day calls, and we’re in Fairfax, Centreville, Springfield, Arlington and Alexandria every week. See our heating repair page or call (703) 335-1009.

What a visit costs with Woodland

Whether you book a tune-up or a repair, the price is set before any work starts.

Same price any day we’re open, including evenings and Saturdays. There’s no travel fee.

Frequently asked questions

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