Propane furnace maintenance

[bohman]

I got used to having an oil furnace that needed a proper cleaning once a year. It ran a lot better if the nozzles were cleaned & adjusted, fuel filter changed, heat exchanger cleaned of soot, etc. Now that I have a propane furnace, my question is: Do I still have to do that crap? Or do I just run it until it doesn't work?

I'm a big fan of preventive maintenance. Not cheap, but less expensive than repairs. I just have no idea if propane heaters require any.

 

[RPMDAD]

bohman, i am sure someone else on here is more knowledgable than me on this. Our house has a propane furnace and the only maintenance i am aware of is changing the furnace filter, we do this every 90 days. Only problem we have had in 12 years is the electronic ignitor has gone out twice. There may be additional maintenance if your furnace uses a pilot light.

 

[GWguy]

You have far fewer issues with a propane furnace, no soot, no nozzles or filters to clog, etc... but it's still a good idea to have a yearly inspection. They'll check things like the regulator pressure, pilot flame height and color, safety trip settings, stack temps, joint leaks, etc....

And if you have a yearly inspection and are under contract, any issues are their problems, not yours.

 

[aps45819]

You have far fewer issues with a propane furnace, no soot, no nozzles or filters to clog, etc... but it's still a good idea to have a yearly inspection. They'll check things like the regulator pressure, pilot flame height and color, safety trip settings, stack temps, joint leaks, etc....

And if you have a yearly inspection and are under contract, any issues are their problems, not yours.

New ones have electronic ignition instead of a pilot light and they're so efficient the flue is PVC pipe

 

[GWguy]

New ones have electronic ignition instead of a pilot light and they're so efficient the flue is PVC pipe

True. I haven't had one in a long time, don't always think of the newer technology.

 

[struggler44]

You can check it yourself for the most part, if you're more comfortable having a contract then get one but with LP or NG you won't find much on a PM, having a contract should give you priority service in case of failure. I take it you have a 90+ which would be sealed combustion so no pilot or rail burners, just shot burners which don't really require maintenance. The cross over's may require a cleaning but that would be if you notice it not lighting evenly-quickly across all of them. If you have a one pipe-make sure the intake is clean inside the house, if it's a two pipe-make sure the intake is clear outside the house. Any sooting is a issue would either be low gas pressure or blocked orifice, each shot burner has one.......most furnaces have self diagnostics built in......any future questions just ask, I will help where I can

 

[bohman]

You can check it yourself for the most part, if you're more comfortable having a contract then get one but with LP or NG you won't find much on a PM, having a contract should give you priority service in case of failure. I take it you have a 90+ which would be sealed combustion so no pilot or rail burners, just shot burners which don't really require maintenance. The cross over's may require a cleaning but that would be if you notice it not lighting evenly-quickly across all of them. If you have a one pipe-make sure the intake is clean inside the house, if it's a two pipe-make sure the intake is clear outside the house. Any sooting is a issue would either be low gas pressure or blocked orifice, each shot burner has one.......most furnaces have self diagnostics built in......any future questions just ask, I will help where I can

Most of that was Greek to me but thanks for the advice. As far as I can tell there's no pilot, and it's a two pipe. I don't often see them because of the location of my deck, but I look under there occasionally and all is well so far. FWIW, the house is warm and everything seems to be working fine. *knock wood* I just want to make sure it stays that way. I got used to oil heat, where the performance noticably drops off if you don't do yearly service.