Many homes across the country rely on heating oil to maintain a comfortable temperature within their homes. Heating oil is utilized by an oil burner to generate the heat needed to maximize indoor comfort.

Regular tune-up services are critical to the performance of an oil burner. Identifying what happens during a tune-up can help you better appreciate the ways that routine tune-up services can improve the efficiency of your home's heating system over time.

Efficiency Testing

The first step in an oil burner tune-up is typically a series of efficiency tests. These tests are designed to measure how efficiently your oil furnace is completing the combustion process.

Variables like draft, carbon monoxide levels, temperature, and smoke production are measured and compared against manufacturer recommendations for your heating system. By performing efficiency testing, your service technician will be able to identify any potential problems that might compromise the efficiency of your oil burner in the future.

Nozzle Replacement

A new oil burner nozzle is installed during most tune-up services. This nozzle is responsible for feeding the heating oil into the combustion chamber. As the nozzle gets dirty or corroded, it can be difficult to maintain a continuous flame within the combustion chamber.

Your oil furnace will not be able to run as efficiently as it should, and you will find that a significant amount of heat is lost when an older burner nozzle is in use. A new burner nozzle can ensure that heating oil flows freely throughout your heating system so that you can maintain steady and reliable temperatures within your home.

Component Cleaning

The combustion process can be a dirty one. This means that components within your oil furnace can become coated with a layer of dirt and grime over time. Dirty components are not capable of running as efficiently as clean ones, so your service technician will complete a thorough cleaning during each tune-up service.

The air filter will be cleaned or replaced, electrodes will be cleaned to ensure a steady flow of electricity within the furnace, and the air gate will be cleaned to guarantee a proper air supply for your furnace while it's working to heat your home.

Component cleaning is an important aspect of oil burner maintenance, and you can rely on an experienced technician to clean all vital components during a tune-up service this spring.

Schedule a tune-up for your oil furnace so that you can maximize the efficiency of your home's heating system. To learn more about burner services, contact an HVAC professional in your area.