What Are The Most Common Problems In Your Furnace?

The moment your furnace stops heating your home, there’s no reason to immediately panic. In most instances, the problem isn’t the furnace breaking down. There might be another reason that prevents the same from functioning properly. This means you can’t just think about having a new furnace installation right then and there.

Every year has a heating season and no one can escape it. And it is also during this time when your local HVAC contractors find themselves bombarded with complaints and calls for help. And while you expect to be one of those homeowners who will be dialing that phone whenever you feel like the furnace isn’t providing any heat no more, it pays if you already know what you’re dealing with.

Problem 1 – Furnace is no longer heating.

What’s the Cause?

furnace problemThere are several possible causes of your furnace being unable to heat. First is a problem with the thermostat. Many homeowners will call a local HVAC repair service and end up getting embarrassed because there’s actually no problem other than the fact that the thermostat was simply turned off. Another probable cause is the circuit breaker, wherein it could have been tripped or blown. For older furnaces, it can be a faulty pilot light. There are several reasons why the pilot light can go out. It can be because of a faulty thermocouple, dirty gas tub, or perhaps a draft. When you have a problem with the pilot light, you need to call an HVAC professional.

Problem 2 – There is not enough heat.

What’s the Cause?

There are three possible causes namely a dirty air filter, imbalanced airflow, and leaking ducts. When furnace filters get clogged with all sorts of stuff like dust and debris, the flow of air is disrupted over the heat exchanger. As a result, warming your home becomes a bit more difficult for the equipment. Air filters therefore need to be changed every one to three months, both for gas and oil furnace types. For imbalanced airflow meanwhile, the experience is that some rooms will not get the same warmth as others. But the furnace isn’t the problem here. What needs to be done is perform a full airflow analysis including balancing and correction. Lastly, leaky ducts also lead to insufficient production of heat. It can be because of reasons like broken seals, cracks, and even poor insulation. The same as the other cause, you will need to call in an HVAC contractor to perform a professional and comprehensive inspection.

Problem 3 – Constantly Increasing Energy Bills

What’s the Cause?

There are only two reasons why you’re always getting high energy bills. And unlike the first two problems we talked about, this one is solely your responsibility. The first reason is the lack of maintenance. If you fail to regularly perform maintenance on your furnace, it’ll never perform the way it is supposed to. Remember that efficiency corresponds to optimum performance. The second reason is your equipment is already way past its prime. And there’s only one solution – you will have to replace it with a newer and more efficient furnace.