Explaining Combustion Analysis & Why it’s Important

Have you ever owned a wood-burning stove, or heard stories from parents or grandparents about the old wood-fired cookstove in the kitchen? If you have, then you likely know something about a very basic form of combustion analysis. Wood burning stoves use a series of vents and dampers to control the amount of air to make sure the wood (fuel) burns efficiently.

When Mast Heating & Cooling comes to your home to perform a combustion analysis, it’s much more complicated. But the goal is the same; to make sure your fuel burning device, most often natural gas or propane, is burning the fuel efficiently.

In the old days, a combustion analysis during a furnace repair in Grand Rapids might have been nothing more than a visual inspection of the flame by an experienced HVAC technician. Nowadays, our Mast Heating & Cooling experts are equipped with an electronic combustion analyzer. It measures the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and measures the flue temperature. The information allows our technician to adjust the flame so that all of the numbers match the manufacturer’s guidelines. The result for you is greater fuel efficiency to save you money.

The analyzer also measures the amount of carbon monoxide the flame is producing. The first priority is to assure your safety by making sure the levels aren’t excessively high. High CO levels are another indication the fuel isn’t burning completely. Carbon monoxide is a natural byproduct of burning fuel. The key is to make sure the levels are within guidelines, and the deadly gas is being properly vented up the flue to the outside.

Unlike many companies doing furnace and boiler repairs in Holland, MI, every heating system tune-up done by Mast Heating & Cooling, like those you receive as a member of our Maintenance Plan, includes a combustion analysis. Many others will charge extra for the service. We do it because it’s the only reliable way to assure the efficient and safe operation of your fuel burning device. It’s just one more way we emphasize customer service, something we have been doing since the business started in 1956. It’s why our motto is, “The things you care about, are the things we care about.” Call Mast Heating & Cooling today to schedule your furnace tune-up and combustion analysis.