In the cold winter months, you want your home to be nice, warm, and cozy. No wonder, the dependency on the furnace increases. Any problems in the furnace, at such a time, would mean a cold and chilly home. When that happens, you have just two options. One, schedule repairs on your furnace. Two, buy a new furnace. The second option is obviously more expensive than the first one and so less desirable.
Carrying out furnace repairs is also not a thing of a whim. You cannot decide that your furnace needs repair. There are certain signs that your furnace needs to show before you can take that decision. Today, let us have a look at the 5 top signs that your furnace needs repair.
5 Top Sign That Your Furnace Needs Repair
When something is wrong with your furnace here are the top 5 signs that you will notice:
1. No Heating – The biggest set back is felt when your home does not become warm because there is no heating at all. It is a sure shot sign of furnace problems. When you set your smart thermostat to heating, and you feel only cool air coming from the vents, it points to a malfunctioning furnace. Now, the problem could either be in the compressor which heats the air, or it could be the blower motor that pumps the hot air into the rooms through the ductwork. The chances are that you may have scrimped on the annual maintenance of your HVAC and, as a result, missed identifying the problem early on.
2. Slow Heating – If your home is taking more time to heat than before, it could indicate furnace problems. To say that the cause of inefficient heating is a faulty furnace is wrong. It is because improper heating can happen even when the ducts are clogged, or there is a leak in them. It is especially true for old homes, where the ductwork is also old. For newer homes, it is most likely that the culprit is a faulty furnace. The problem could be in the wiring, or maybe the unit is cycling on and off several times such that it is unable to warm the home adequately. In either of these cases, you will have to call for an HVAC technician. Only he can confirm the problem and rectify it.
3. Unpleasant Odors – Your furnace should ideally not emanate any smells. If you smell smoke or burning fuel or gas, the chances of your furnace having developed a fault become rather high. The cause of smell could be anything from simple dust trapped in the unit to something as serious as a gas leak. The first thing to do is to check the carbon monoxide detector, whether it has tripped or not. In some cases, it may even sound an alarm. When the alarm sounds, immediately turn off the furnace and open all the windows for ventilation. Next, place a call to your gas company to switch off the gas supply to your home. Now call the HVAC contractor and ask for immediate rectification or furnace repair.
4. Yellow Pilot Light – Inside the front panel of the furnace is the pilot light. When the furnace is in perfect working order, it is blue in color. However, when gases like carbon monoxide are not able to disperse as they ideally should, its color changes from blue to yellow. Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that can be fatal to the health of your. It also makes your unit highly combustible. Therefore, the yellow light should not be taken lightly. It demands immediate attention and should be attended to posthaste.
5. Persistent Noises – A furnace does not operate silently. Neither does it make loud and persistent sounds. At most, it may operate with a slight to a little strong hum. But, if you hear squealing, whistling, groaning, or banging noises, it indicates loose parts within the furnace. When the problem is in the fan or the belt, you will hear whistling and squealing noises. While if you hear banging or groaning sounds, these may come from some broken or loose parts inside the furnace. Only an HVAC contractor can correctly identify the problem and rectify it.
Other Signs That You May See
A few other signs that you may notice if your furnace is not working properly and needs repair are:
1. You may find that it is difficult to start your heating unit. And sometimes even if you do manage to turn it on, it will switch off quickly.
2. The heating bills will see an unexplainable surge. A steady rise in the utility bills during winters indicates to furnace problems.
3. If there is a water build-up around the furnace, there is a problem. It could happen due to a leak in the condensate drain line or a leak in the humidifier.
Furnace Problems And Air Quality
When the furnace develops any problem and needs repair, the air quality in your home will suffer. A system that lacks maintenance moves dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and bacteria throughout your home along with the heated air. The most obvious sign of that is frequent breathing ailments in the residents or the family members. You will also see suspended particles in the air and accumulated on different surfaces even after regular cleaning. Rectifying the furnace problem could be a simple solution, like changing air filters. At other times it may mean getting your entire ductwork cleaned by professional cleaners.
Concluding Thoughts
If you wish to extend the life of your furnace and get more work from it, you have to pay attention to the signs and symptoms that it shows from time to time. Being able to identify a furnace problem at its onset and asking the contractor to carry out repairs is the only way to guarantee its longevity. The quicker a problem is identified and resolved, the less lasting damage the unit suffers. Take more interest in your furnace to know what is normal and what isn’t. Moreover, instead of solving the problem yourself, ask a trained contractor or technician to carry out furnace repairs.
The residents of West Palm Beach, Florida, can breathe easily for Aztil AC is here to serve all your HVAC needs. Our team of trained technicians is the best and will take care of your unit like their own.
