Published 31 Jan 2023
What is a Furnace Inspection?
A furnace inspection is the assessment of an industrial or residential furnace’s condition, primarily done to identify repair and maintenance needs. Operators, property owners, and landlords can hire a professional furnace inspector or choose to perform inspections and maintenance checks by themselves.
Complete Furnace Maintenance Checklist
This complete furnace maintenance checklist can be used by professional furnace inspectors and property managers for general inspections to identify a furnace’s repair and maintenance needs. It provides pointers for cleaning, changing of disposable filters, and items to inspect to ensure that the furnace is in good condition.
- Take pictures of identified damage and irregularities then annotate them for evidence and documentation
- Add comments and notes for repair and maintenance recommendations
- Validate inspection data by providing inspector’s digital signature
In this article
- What is a Furnace Maintenance Checklist?
- 3 Compelling Reasons for Conducting Furnace Maintenance
- Top 3 Downsides of Neglecting Furnace Inspections and Maintenance
- Mobile App for Furnace Inspections and Maintenance
- The Best Furnace Inspection and Maintenance Checklists
What is a Furnace Maintenance Checklist?
A furnace maintenance checklist is a tool used to inspect furnace components and safety controls for wear and tear and to determine if there’s a need of cleaning, repair, or replacement. Conducted at least once or twice annually, furnace maintenance helps ensure that furnaces are safe to operate and in optimal working condition.
3 Compelling Reasons for Conducting Furnace Maintenance
Furnaces are ideally maintained during fall and spring, when the equipment is not in use, to make sure that they operate safely and don’t break down unexpectedly when they are needed during winter. Here are three reasons why periodic furnace preventive maintenance is a must:
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Safety
Parts and components of furnaces such as gas lines need to be proactively checked to ensure that there are no dangerous gas leaks. Safety controls should also be inspected to make sure that they are working properly. -
Energy efficiency
Air filters of furnaces need to be checked to determine if they need to be cleaned or replaced. Clogged filters that are not cleaned or replaced will overburden the furnace and negatively affect energy efficiency. -
Prevent breakdowns
The preventive maintenance of furnaces help ensure that they are safe to operate and do not breakdown and cause disruption to the day-to-day operation of commercial establishments and negatively impact living conditions in residential properties.
Top 3 Downsides of Neglecting Furnace Inspections and Maintenance
Property owners, landlords, and other professionals can make the mistake of neglecting furnace inspections if they fail to see any obvious issues. This results in a variety or problems that can easily be prevented with proper care and maintenance.
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Health and safety hazards
Gas furnaces are one of the most common types being used because natural gas has become more affordable in recent years. However, they can easily turn into a fire hazard if carelessly installed. Ensure that the furnace has sufficient clearance from walls, ceilings, and shelves, and other flammable items that may block air flow and start a fire.
Gas line leaks are also a concern because methane is highly flammable and even a small amount could cause a fire and explosion if no immediate action is taken. Furnace inspections can help you spot warning signs such as damage to gas pipes and connections.
Overexposure to carbon monoxide, a byproduct of natural gas, is fatal. It is especially dangerous since it is both odorless, and colorless, making it hard to detect without a carbon monoxide detector. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Ensure that there’s no blockage to your furnace’s ventilation including dust since this can cause carbon monoxide build up. Check for any cracks and damage and make sure the front panel door is completely closed before turning the furnace on. -
Inefficient operation
Dust and dirt accumulation will require your furnace to work harder than it normally would to maintain heat, using up more energy and sacrificing efficiency. Furnace inspections can help detect dust and dirt build up so the furnace can be cleaned and can operate at maximum efficiency. -
Costly repairs
Furnace repairs and replacements are more expensive than maintenance work. Repairs can easily cost between $300 to $1,200 depending on the furnace type and the parts that need fixing, while replacements can range from $4,000 to $6,000. Furnace inspections however, can cost up to $150 or completely free if you have the technical know-how to do it yourself.
Mobile App for Furnace Inspections and Maintenance
Regardless if you’re a professional inspector, or a property manager looking to keep your furnace in good condition, writing data on paper can be a hassle. With the help of SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor), you can transform your paper checklists into smart inspection forms in minutes. You can also use our pre-made furnace inspection templates or easily create new ones from scratch using our drag and drop template builder.
Easy inspections and data collection anytime, anywhere
- Perform furnace inspections with photos on your phone or tablet, even while offline
- Detect hazards and find opportunities for repair and maintenance work
- Save and secure your furnace audit information with unlimited cloud storage
Instantly generate and share furnace reports and templates
- After the inspection, you can easily generate an inspection report to share with clients
- Share templates across the organization to for easy standardization of process
- Export reports in a variety of formats including PDF, DOC, and CSV
Manage teams better
- Assign and track corrective actions to personnel in real-time for faster issue resolution
- Share template access to appropriate personnel so updates are rolled out automatically
- World class 24/5 customer support to assist you with your SafetyCulture queries
The Best Furnace Inspection and Maintenance Checklists
26-point Furnace Maintenance Checklist
A furnace maintenance checklist is used by technicians, property managers, and safety officers to check furnaces for wear and tear and assess the need for cleaning, repair, or replacement. Use this digitized furnace maintenance checklist and be able to take photos as evidence of issues found.
Dual-fuel Heat Pump Furnace Maintenance Checklist
Use this 32-item maintenance checklist to thoroughly inspect dual-fuel heat pump furnaces.
Bonus: HVAC Maintenance Checklist
Use this HVAC maintenance checklist that includes sections for the maintenance of air conditioner, heat pump, electric heater, gas furnace, and dual fuel heat pump furnace. SafetyCulture templates can be edited to meet the needs of inspectors and technicians.