The old adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” should not apply when it comes to your household heating system. Like a car, your furnace is a running machine that needs regular tune-ups to ensure its efficiency and longevity. You wouldn’t wait more than a year to give your car an oil change, so don’t wait until your furnace breaks down to call for service.

A clean, well-adjusted heating system will save you money on fuel and will prolong furnace life. The cost of annual servicing is modest, especially when compared with the price of a new furnace.

There is some maintenance that homeowners can undertake themselves, such as the cleaning and replacing of filters. To ensure safe and efficient operation

of a heating system, however, homeowners should have their furnace inspected and cleaned annually by a qualified service technician.

Homeowners searching for a qualified heating contractor in their area can access a user-friendly website -www.hrai.ca or toll-free at 1-877-467-HRAI.

This site lists contractor members of the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Instituted of Canada (HRAI), a national trade association.

Inspections performed by a licensed technician will include the following:

- Safety test for carbon monoxide (CO)

- Check for hazardous debris in the chimney flue

- Check operations of thermostat and safety controls

- Check gas pilot safety system and clean as required