By NorthPeak Team
Every October, we see the same thing: homeowners who skipped last fall's tune-up, calling on a 22° January morning because the furnace won't fire. Most of those failures are entirely preventable — a $99 tune-up six months earlier would have caught the problem.
What we actually do in a tune-up
A real furnace tune-up is a 28-point inspection. We don't just blow out the filter and bill you. Here's the checklist:
- Combustion analysis on gas units — confirms safe venting, no carbon monoxide leakage, and correct fuel-to-air ratio.
- Flue inspection — checks for blockages, corrosion, and proper draft.
- Heat-exchanger inspection — visual and infrared. Cracks here can leak CO into your living space. This is the most important safety check we do.
- Ignition system — flame sensor cleaning, ignitor check, gas valve operation.
- Blower motor amperage and capacitor health — predicts failure within 90% accuracy.
- Condensate drain flush — clogged drains are the #1 reason high-efficiency furnaces shut down in winter.
- Thermostat calibration and wiring check.
- Filter inspection and replacement (you pay for the filter; we install it).
- Belt and pulley check on older systems.
- Overall system cycle test — start to finish, with real-world load.
What we find every year
About 30% of the furnaces we tune up have a part on the edge of failure. The most common: weak ignitors (failing within 6 months), dying blower-motor capacitors (failing within 12 months), and clogged condensate drains on high-efficiency units (failing on the next cold snap).
We catch them, we tell you, and you either fix them on the spot for a fraction of what an emergency call would cost — or you decide to push them and we note it on the report.
What it costs you not to tune up
An average emergency furnace repair in Seattle, after hours, in January, runs $400-$900. A blown ignitor caught in October costs $180 with our maintenance discount. A weak capacitor caught in October is $90; the same capacitor failing on January 9 takes the blower out with it and the whole repair is $600+.
The math on a tune-up is roughly: $99 spent in October saves an average of $250 in avoided emergencies over the winter, plus extends your system's life by 2-4 years.
How to book
Tune-ups book out from late September through November. We recommend booking by mid-August if you want the early-bird slots. Call (206) 555-0188, or sign up for our Comfort Club membership and we'll just schedule you automatically every year.