Your Pioneer Annual Equipment Service Report Card and What It Means

Part one of a two-part post

You probably know that routine annual maintenance is critical to protecting your home heating system investment – but do you know what actually the technician is actually doing to make that once-a-year visit so important?

Put simply, your technician is looking for ways to make your heating system perform more safely and efficiently – and to spot small issues before they become big problems.

In our annual tune-ups, we do everything from testing and adjusting your oil burner to checking your system and operating controls as part of our multipoint inspection (included in all our heating system Service Plans).

But we also take things a bit further than other heating service companies when it comes to sharing the work we’ve done. Included in every Pioneer Annual Equipment Service visit is a Report Card that summarizes six key performance areas we measure; If we discover a problem, we’ll help you find a way to solve it.

In this first of a two-part post, we’ll talk about the first three measurements we take – and why they’re so important to keeping your heating system up, running, and healthy.

The Pioneer Annual Equipment Service Report Card – What we measure, Part One

1. Exhaust draft – This measures the strength of airflow that removes heating system emissions away from your home. If this number is within its normal limits, it means emissions are being removed from your home safely. It also means your heated air is staying in your living space rather than escaping through the exhaust system.
2. Carbon dioxide (CO2) percentage – This measures how much CO2 is being output from your heating equipment. Although carbon dioxide is a safe by-product of the combustion process, a CO2 reading outside normal range can indicate that there is an incorrect ratio of oxygen to hydrogen in the fuel/air mix – which means your system is probably not running as efficiently as it should be.
3. Exhaust temperature – This measures the temperature of the air as it leaves your home. A higher temperature than normal can mean that too much heat is being lost to your chimney, and that you aren’t getting the most value from your heating system.

Next week we’ll take a look at our last three Report Card measures: smoke, carbon monoxide, and combustion efficiency. Stay tuned!

Spring is the perfect time to get your Annual Equipment Service out of the way for your home heating system. Beat the crowds and contact us today to schedule a visit!