Your furnace has been sitting idle since spring. A furnace tune-up is how you know it’s ready before the first cold morning. Licensed technicians from Aspen Aire work through a 17-point inspection of your heating system, clean the parts that collect dust through the year, and finish with a carbon monoxide test and a full safety check.
Most of what we find is small. A burner that needs cleaning. A belt showing some wear. An electrical connection that has worked loose over a few seasons. Catching those in the fall is what keeps them small, and it’s why we recommend annual maintenance.
We’ve been tuning up furnaces in Des Moines, Ankeny, and central Iowa since 2006, and we service every electric and gas brand and model, whether we installed it or not. Request your tune-up below and we’ll call you to set a time.
Your Furnace Tune-Up
$139
Plus tax. All gas and electric brands. Valid now through October 31st.
- 17-point inspection, cleaning, and safety check
- Carbon monoxide test and heat exchanger inspection
- Burner, blower, and flame sensor cleaned
- Air filter changed
- A clear summary of what we found before we leave
No gimmicks, no hidden fees. We quote before we work, and we’ll never recommend a service or product you don’t truly need. That’s how we’ve operated since 2006, and it’s written into our values.
- Rated 4.7 stars across 304 reviews
- Rheem Top Pro Partner 2025
- MidAmerican EnergyAdvantage Trade Ally
- Locally owned since 2006
- 24/7 emergency service
What’s Included in a Furnace Tune-Up
Our technicians work the same 17-point checklist on every visit. It covers three things: whether the furnace is safe, whether it’s efficient, and whether it’s ready for the season. You may see this service called a furnace clean and check, a furnace inspection, a furnace service check, or annual heating maintenance. They all describe the same yearly visit.
Safety
- Test carbon monoxide levels
- Inspect the heat exchanger for cracks
- Test the exhaust system
- Check gas and oil line connections
- Test the ignition system and pilot light
- Inspect all electrical components
Efficiency
- Verify and adjust gas pressure
- Inspect and clean the burner
- Clean the furnace interior and exterior
- Change the air filter
- Check and calibrate the thermostat
- Test system controls
Reliability
- Inspect the blower motor
- Lubricate motor bearings
- Check fan belt tension and adjust if needed
- Tighten electrical connections
- Inspect the condensate drain and clear if needed
How Much Does a Furnace Tune-Up Cost in Des Moines?
A single Aspen Aire furnace tune-up is $139 plus tax. That sits inside the $100 to $300 national range Forbes reports for a professional furnace clean and check. If you have your air conditioner serviced each spring too, Club Membership costs less than buying the two visits separately.
| Option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Single furnace tune-up | $139 | One fall visit, 17-point inspection, filter included |
| Furnace and AC tune-ups bought separately | $298 | Two visits, nothing else |
| Club Membership | $189 / year | Both tune-ups, free filters, priority scheduling, regular rates 24/7, 10% off parts |
Our average Club member saves at least $195 a year, which is why most of our maintenance customers end up joining.
What Happens During Your Visit
Plan on about an hour, a little longer on older systems. Your technician needs access to the furnace and the thermostat. Clearing a path to the unit beforehand is the one thing that helps most.
- We call ahead. Your technician confirms the window before heading out, so you’re not waiting around.
- Safety checks first. The heat exchanger, gas connections, and carbon monoxide test come first. These are the checks that need a licensed technician and the right tools.
- Clean and calibrate. We clean the burner, flame sensor, blower assembly, and interior. Then we change the filter and set gas pressure and thermostat calibration back to spec.
- Full heating cycle test. We run the system start to finish and confirm it’s delivering the temperature your thermostat is asking for.
- We walk you through what we found. You get a plain summary of what is in good shape and anything worth watching. If something needs work, you get the price before we start.
Many furnace repairs we find during a tune-up can be handled on the same visit. If your system is near the end of its service life, we can quote a new high-efficiency furnace at no charge. If it has years left, we’ll say so.
Changing your own filter and keeping the area around the furnace clear both help, and we’d encourage it. The carbon monoxide test, heat exchanger inspection, and gas pressure adjustment are the parts that need a licensed technician and the right instruments.
When to Schedule Your Fall Furnace Tune-Up
September and October are the right window. Our schedule is lighter then, so you get the appointment time you want. Anything we find gets handled before you are relying on the heat.
Once the first hard freeze arrives, every HVAC company in the metro is working through a backlog at the same time. Booking ahead of that is the simplest way to keep your comfort on track through the winter.
Would rather not track it? Club Membership covers both the fall furnace tune-up and the spring AC clean and check. We send the reminder when it’s time to book.
Signs Your Furnace Is Ready for a Tune-Up
A tune-up is scheduled maintenance, not a repair call. Still, a few things are worth mentioning when you book:
- Heating bills creeping up year over year with no change in how you set the thermostat
- A yellow or flickering burner flame instead of a steady blue one
- New sounds when the furnace starts up
- Uneven heat between rooms
- Short cycling, where the system turns on and off every few minutes
- A faint burning smell the first few times you run the heat. Usually that is dust burning off, and it clears
If your furnace has already stopped heating, that’s a repair rather than a tune-up. Call 515-257-8370 and ask for emergency service. Someone answers 24/7.
What Annual Furnace Maintenance Protects
A tune-up is a small annual expense that protects four things worth more than the visit costs:
- Your warranty. Most furnace manufacturers require documented annual maintenance to honor a claim. That applies to a furnace installed last year as much as one from 2010. We document every visit, so the record is there if you need it.
- Your family’s safety. A cracked heat exchanger can let carbon monoxide into the home, and it isn’t something you can see or smell. The CO test and heat exchanger inspection are the first things we do.
- Your energy bills. The S. Department of Energy notes that routine maintenance keeps heating equipment running at its rated efficiency rather than drifting down year after year.
- Your schedule. A planned fall appointment is easier and less expensive than an unplanned one in January.
Save With Club Membership!
Club Membership is $189 a year. It covers a free fall furnace tune-up and a free spring AC clean and check, filters included.
- Priority scheduling when you need us
- Regular service rates 24/7, including nights, weekends, and holidays
- 10% off parts and accessories
- A reminder when it’s time to book, so it isn’t one more thing to track
Learn more about Club Membership.
Why Des Moines Homeowners Choose Aspen Aire
Aspen Aire has been locally owned and operated in central Iowa since 2006.
- Rated 4.7 stars across 304 reviews on Google, Facebook, and Rheem.com, collected on Rheem’s contractor listing
- Rheem Top Pro Partner 2025 and a MidAmerican EnergyAdvantage Trade Ally, so we can point you toward rebates you qualify for
- Every brand serviced, not only the ones we sell
- 24/7 emergency service when you need it
We also don’t sell people things they don’t need. If your furnace is in good shape, we’ll tell you it’s in good shape. Honest recommendations and clear pricing are the whole reason customers stay with us, and they’re written into our values.
Furnace Tune-Ups Across Central Iowa
We service homes throughout the Des Moines metro, including Ankeny, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Johnston, and Waukee. See the full service area for the complete list.
Getting the air conditioner ready too? Book an AC tune-up in the spring, or bundle both with Club Membership.
Schedule Your Furnace Tune-Up
Our fall schedule fills quickly! Send the form and we’ll call you back to set a time. Prefer to talk it through now? Call our friendly staff to get on our schedule.
Furnace Tune-Up FAQs
How much does a furnace tune-up cost in Des Moines?
An Aspen Aire furnace tune-up is $139 plus tax. That sits inside the $100 to $300 national average for a professional furnace clean and check. Club Members get their fall tune-up included in the $189 annual membership.
How long does a furnace tune-up take?
About an hour for most homes, a little longer on older systems. Your technician inspects, cleans, and tests the heating system, then walks you through what they found. Clear access to the furnace and thermostat keeps the visit on schedule.
What is a furnace tune-up, exactly?
It’s a full professional inspection, cleaning, and safety test of your heating system, not a filter swap. Our 17-point checklist covers the heat exchanger, burner, blower motor, gas pressure, electrical connections, thermostat calibration, and a carbon monoxide test.
How often does a furnace need a tune-up?
Once a year, in the fall, before the heating season starts. Annual service is also what most manufacturer warranties require in order to stay valid, so yearly maintenance protects the coverage as well as the equipment.
When is the best time to schedule a fall furnace tune-up?
September or October. Our schedule is lighter then, so you get the appointment window you want, and anything we find gets handled before you’re relying on the heat. After the first freeze, the whole metro books at once.
