Your furnace is more than a single unit — it’s a complete heating system: the burners and heat exchanger, the blower and motor, gas and ignition components, flue and venting, ductwork, filtration, and controls. Our maintenance plans service the entire system, not just the furnace itself, so one worn part never compromises the rest — or your safety. Spencer Heating and Air has been the Lake Martin area’s trusted maintenance partner since 1967; our tune-ups catch small problems before they become costly repairs, verify safe combustion, and extend equipment life by years. Schedule your system tune-up with confidence.
The best time to maintain your furnace system is before the heating season begins. When you call Spencer Heating and Air at 256-373-3165 or fill out our contact form, we’ll find a time that works for your schedule — usually within a week or two. Our maintenance visits typically take 1–2 hours depending on your furnace system’s age and condition.
256-373-3165Six reasons families across Alexander City, Kellyton, and the Lake Martin region trust Spencer with their whole heating system. A cracked heat exchanger, a failing igniter, or a blocked vent doesn’t just affect one part — it puts the entire system, and your safety, at risk. Click any card to read the detail.
Since 1967, we’ve maintained thousands of furnaces across the Lake Martin region.
Our longevity in the community is built on keeping systems running safely and efficiently, year after year. We understand the seasonal patterns in Alabama’s heating demands — the unpredictable cold snaps that catch unprepared homeowners off guard, and the importance of planning maintenance before the winter rush. Families who trust us for maintenance view us as partners in their heating reliability, not vendors they call in a crisis.
We’re an authorized American Standard Customer Care Dealer with factory-trained technicians.
Every maintenance visit is performed by technicians trained on American Standard equipment specifications. We know the exact maintenance intervals that keep your system within warranty compliance, and we use genuine American Standard parts and service procedures. That certification also means we have access to technical bulletins, service advisories, and factory-backed guidance that independent techs don’t have.
Most furnace problems don’t announce themselves loudly. We catch them during inspection.
A bearing starts to wear quietly for months before it fails. Dust accumulates on the heat exchanger, reducing efficiency imperceptibly until you notice your heating bills climbing. Our maintenance visits catch all of these problems during the inspection phase, before they become failures. Small adjustments and cleaning during maintenance prevent these wear patterns from cascading into expensive repairs.
We hold Alabama License #13038 and every maintenance visit includes comprehensive safety testing.
We check for gas leaks using specialized equipment, verify your furnace system’s ventilation is clear, and test for carbon monoxide concerns. Safety isn’t something we do reluctantly — it’s central to our maintenance protocol. Your home and family are protected because we’re performing these tests according to code, with full documentation.
One furnace system maintenance visit before heating season can prevent multiple unexpected repair calls during winter.
When we find a problem during a routine tune-up, you can address it on your schedule, at regular rates, and with advance planning. Compare that to a sudden breakdown when your furnace system fails on a freezing night — you’re without heat until we arrive. Maintenance customers experience fewer winter breakdowns and lower average annual costs.
Safe, even heat depends on the burners, heat exchanger, blower, gas and ignition, venting, ductwork, and controls all working together.
A tune-up that only lights the burners misses where real safety and comfort problems hide — a hairline crack in the heat exchanger, a weak igniter, a blocked flue, or leaky ducts bleeding off heat. We inspect and service the entire heating system as one connected whole, so a small fault in any single component never compromises the rest — or your safety.
Tap a problem to see how regular maintenance prevents it from happening.
Dust, corrosion, and normal wear affect ignition components over time. A dirty pilot light assembly won’t light reliably. Electronic ignition electrodes get coated with carbon buildup and lose their spark. Gas pressure irregularities prevent proper ignition timing.
How maintenance prevents this: We clean pilot assemblies, inspect and gap electronic ignition electrodes, verify gas pressure at the furnace system, and test the ignition sequence multiple times to ensure reliability.
Prevention Schedule
Annual Cleaning
Clean ignition components prevent 90% of no-heat calls during winter.
Blower motors accumulate dust on the fan wheel, reducing airflow and forcing the motor to work harder. Bearings wear out from continuous operation. Belt-driven systems develop belt wear and tension problems.
How maintenance prevents this: We clean the blower wheel, lubricate motor bearings where applicable, check belt tension and condition, and verify proper airflow throughout your home.
Prevention Schedule
Annual Service
Proper blower maintenance extends motor life by 5–7 years.
Dirty filters reduce airflow, forcing your furnace system to work harder and run longer to heat your home. Restricted airflow causes overheating, which triggers safety shutoffs and reduces equipment life.
How maintenance prevents this: We inspect and replace your filter, check for proper filter size and type, and verify airflow throughout your ductwork. We’ll recommend the right filter replacement schedule for your home.
Prevention Schedule
Monthly Checks
Clean filters improve efficiency by 15% and prevent overheating shutdowns.
Dust buildup on heat exchangers reduces heat transfer. Burner components get dirty and don’t burn fuel completely. Thermostat calibration drifts over time, causing temperature swings and wasted energy.
How maintenance prevents this: We clean heat exchangers, adjust burner components for optimal combustion, calibrate your thermostat, and perform combustion analysis to verify peak efficiency.
Prevention Schedule
Annual Tune-Up
Proper maintenance maintains 85%+ efficiency throughout equipment life.
Cracked heat exchangers, blocked venting, or incomplete combustion can create carbon monoxide — an odorless, deadly gas. Venting systems can become blocked by debris, bird nests, or structural damage.
How maintenance prevents this: We inspect heat exchangers for cracks, test venting systems for proper draft, check for blockages, and perform combustion analysis to verify complete, safe burning.
Prevention Schedule
Annual Safety Test
Professional safety testing is the only way to detect carbon monoxide risks.
Small problems compound into major failures when ignored. A dirty blower motor burns out. A clogged filter causes overheating that cracks the heat exchanger. Worn components fail during peak demand when you need heat most.
How maintenance prevents this: We catch wear patterns early, replace small components before they fail, and identify systems approaching end-of-life so you can plan replacement on your schedule, not winter’s.
Prevention Schedule
Annual Inspection
Maintenance customers have 75% fewer unexpected repair calls.
Methodical inspection, thorough cleaning, comprehensive testing. Every Spencer maintenance visit follows the same five-step process — from scheduling through the final performance report.
When you call to schedule maintenance, we ask about your furnace system’s age, recent performance, and any concerns. We’ll schedule you before the heating season rush, usually offering same-day or next-day appointments. Before we arrive, note your furnace system’s model and serial number from the nameplate — this helps us prepare the right documentation and parts.
Our certified technician arrives with diagnostic tools and a maintenance checklist. We visually inspect your furnace system inside and out, check for damage or improper installation, examine the burner assembly and heat exchanger, test airflow throughout your home, and inspect your thermostat accuracy. This inspection takes 30–40 minutes and documents your system’s baseline condition.
We perform hands-on maintenance: clean or replace your furnace filter, clean the burner assembly and remove carbon buildup, inspect and clean the blower wheel and motor, service pilot light or electronic ignition systems, check and lubricate moving parts, and verify gas connections and pressure. This active maintenance phase takes 45–60 minutes.
After cleaning, we run a complete safety and performance test. We verify ignition sequence reliability, test limit switches and safety shutoffs, check thermostat operation, use combustion analysis to measure efficiency, test for carbon monoxide, and inspect venting systems for blockages. This testing phase takes 30–40 minutes and provides data for your written report.
Before we leave, we sit down with you and review the maintenance report. We explain what we found, what we cleaned, test results, and what they mean. If minor issues exist, we explain the timeline and urgency. You’ll receive written documentation, warranty information, and our direct contact information for any follow-up questions.
Our maintenance members enjoy priority scheduling, consistent system performance, and the confidence that comes from knowing a trained professional is keeping an eye on their equipment throughout the year.
What’s Included In Our Maintenance Plan?
We know that a new HVAC system or a major repair can be a significant investment. That is why Spencer Heating and Air works with trusted lending partners to make quality comfort accessible to every homeowner. We want you to make the best decision for your home — not the cheapest one because of budget pressure.
Why Consider Financing?
A well-maintained furnace is just the foundation of whole-home comfort. Consider these related services to keep your entire heating and cooling system running efficiently.
From heat pump maintenance to ductwork sealing, our technicians provide comprehensive care for every component of your home comfort system. We’ll help you develop a maintenance strategy that prevents problems, maximizes efficiency, and extends equipment life across all your HVAC systems.
If you have a heat pump for both heating and cooling, two annual tune-ups keep your system balanced and efficient year-round. We’ll clean coils, verify refrigerant levels, and ensure optimal operation.
Your AC system deserves the same preventive care as your furnace system. A cooling-system tune-up before peak demand prevents summer breakdowns and keeps efficiency high during hot months.
Even a perfectly maintained furnace loses efficiency if your ductwork is leaky or blocked. We’ll inspect your ducts, seal leaks, and ensure heated air reaches every room. Many customers recover 15–20% of lost efficiency.
Supplement your furnace system maintenance with air filtration or UV lights to remove dust, allergens, and contaminants. A cleaner furnace and cleaner air go hand in hand for optimal home comfort.
Ask about our current furnace system maintenance specials and rebates. We often offer discounts on annual tune-ups or bundled maintenance and ductwork packages during seasonal promotions.
If you’d prefer to spread maintenance costs monthly instead of paying annually, we can set up a flexible financing plan that turns your tune-up into predictable monthly payments.
Our maintenance visits include a complete system assessment, cleaning of internal furnace components (burner assembly, blower wheel, pilot light or electronic ignition), filter inspection and replacement, safety testing of all shutoffs and switches, combustion analysis to verify efficiency, thermostat calibration, visual inspection of ductwork and venting, and a detailed written report of findings. The whole visit takes 1–2 hours and ends with us walking you through the results and explaining any recommendations.
Before the heating season rush is ideal — that’s when we have the most scheduling flexibility. Closer to winter we can still fit you in, but appointments might take a few weeks. Avoid scheduling maintenance during the coldest months unless absolutely necessary. If you miss it, you can still schedule after heating season, though that misses the primary benefit of catching problems before winter.
We recommend annual maintenance at minimum — once per heating season before winter arrives. If your furnace system is 15+ years old, high-use equipment, or operating in a dusty environment, twice-annual maintenance might be wise. Newer furnaces under 5 years old in clean conditions might go longer between services, but annual tune-ups are still the safest standard. Most furnace warranties require proof of regular maintenance to remain valid.
Absolutely. A well-maintained furnace system can reliably operate for 15–20 years or longer. An unmaintained furnace system often starts failing at 10–12 years due to accumulated wear, dirt, and component degradation. The difference comes down to regular cleaning, adjustment, and early detection of wear. Over the life of your furnace system, annual maintenance costs a fraction of what you’ll save in avoided unexpected repairs and extended equipment lifespan.
Annual maintenance visits are competitively priced and vary depending on your furnace system’s age and condition. Furnaces that haven’t been serviced in years might need more attention and time. If we find components that need replacement, those are quoted separately. Many customers enroll in our recurring maintenance plans where the cost is predictable and you never have to remember to call. Ask about our plan options when you contact us.
We’ll document the issue in your report and give you a separate estimate for any repair work needed. You’re in control — we won’t proceed with repairs beyond the basic maintenance without your approval. If something urgent is discovered (a gas leak, a safety concern), we’ll recommend prompt action. Most maintenance visits find nothing beyond normal wear that requires no follow-up work.
New furnaces don’t need maintenance for the first year or so, though reviewing the owner’s manual is wise. After that first year, annual maintenance is important to catch any manufacturing defects that show up during the break-in period and to verify everything continues operating to specification. Starting maintenance early prevents problems from developing and protects your warranty coverage if maintenance is required.
You won’t know without a professional inspection. Some furnaces are silent about their condition until they suddenly fail. Annual maintenance catches problems you can’t see or hear, like efficiency loss, bearing wear, or heat exchanger corrosion. Skipping maintenance is false economy — you’re risking a major unexpected repair to avoid a modest tune-up cost. If budget is tight, ask about our maintenance plans where costs spread monthly.
No. Maintenance performed by a licensed professional like Spencer Heating and Air actually supports your warranty. Most furnace manufacturers require proof of regular professional maintenance to honor warranty claims on parts. Our maintenance visits create documentation that proves you’ve been responsible with your furnace system, strengthening your warranty protection. Always use a licensed, qualified technician — DIY maintenance could technically void your warranty.
Your furnace will continue working for a while, but efficiency will decline (higher heating bills), wear will accumulate silently, and the risk of unexpected failure increases significantly. When you finally schedule maintenance, there will be more accumulated dirt and wear patterns to address. A neglected furnace eventually forces you into unexpected repairs during the coldest weather, when response times are longer and costs are highest. Regular annual maintenance prevents that scenario.
Spencer Heating and Air operates from two convenient locations to serve communities across East Alabama. Whether you live in the heart of Auburn or along the shores of Lake Martin, our team is never far away.
Our Auburn flagship has served Lee County since 1967, with the deepest tooling and parts inventory in the region. When you need our broadest expertise — the Auburn team is a short drive away.
Call Auburn Location 334-887-9020Auburn customers and Lake Martin neighbors get the same Spencer commitment to honest work, accurate diagnosis, and repairs that last.
Book Service at Auburn Location
For over 55 years, Spencer Heating and Air has set the standard for honest, expert HVAC service in the Lake Martin area and Auburn. Our customers keep coming back because they know they can count on us — for fair pricing, skilled workmanship, and the kind of genuine care that only comes from a family-owned business with deep roots in the community.
Whether you need a brand-new American Standard system, a quick repair, or a comprehensive maintenance plan, we are here and ready to help. Do not settle for anything less than the best — your home and your family deserve it.
Furnace maintenance is an investment in reliability, efficiency, and long-term cost savings. Spencer Heating and Air’s annual tune-ups have kept Lake Martin-area furnaces running safely and efficiently for over 55 years. A single maintenance visit prevents multiple unexpected repairs, extends your furnace system’s lifespan by years, and gives you confidence heading into the heating season.
