How to Do Fall Furnace Maintenance

Richard sets up a combustion analyzer, which calculates furnace efficiency by measuring gasses in the exhaust flue. He makes sure that the burner's air gates are adjusted for the proper ration of fuel to air. "You want the fuel that you've brought to the be burned before it goes up the chimney," Richard says. He also replaces the oil nozzle, which atomizes the fuel just before it ignites, and checks the flame color and shape at the igniter. For either oil or gas, this is a key indicator of stable and complete combustion. In a gas system, this is the time when the burner tubes should be vacuumed clean.