There’s not much worse than having a malfunctioning furnace.
With winter just around the corner, you’re going to need your furnace running at 100% effectiveness. When you start to notice issues with your heating, your furnace is always the first place you should look. A broken furnace is something you’ll want to fix as soon as you possibly can, so early detection is key.
In this post, we’re going to look at 4 of the most common furnace problems that homeowners experience. There are several things that might be happening, so read on and you might be able to get your furnace fixed before it’s too late.
1. Not Enough Heat Coming Out
When cold weather comes, you rely on your furnace to turn on automatically and work with your thermostat to regulate the temperature in your home, keeping it at a level of your choosing. One of the most common problems is when your furnace won’t produce the right amount of heat.
Worse, if your furnace is blowing cool air only, then you’ve got a real cause for concern. You may be able to fix the problem on your own if it’s something simple, like the heat registers being closed, the thermostat being set incorrectly, or the furnace has lost power. If you’ve tried to fix these things and it’s still blowing cool air (or none at all), it’s best to call a professional.
2. Turning On and Off
In cold weather, your furnace will frequently cycle on and off in a process known as “short cycling”. This is usually normal and your furnace doing its best to keep your home at the right temperature. In some situations, however, this is a sign that there’s something going wrong.
This could be anything from a faulty thermostat to a blocked exhaust vent. If it’s turning on and off and you’re noticing your home getting cooler and cooler, then it’s probably time to call in a professional like Beyond Heating and Cooling to inspect your furnace.
3. Pilot Light Is Out
The pilot light is an essential part of a functioning residential furnace. When it starts flickering or going out entirely, you’ve got furnace issues. In particular, a flickering, yellow pilot light could mean that there’s too much carbon monoxide in a gas furnace.
It might also go out because of draftiness in your basement, or dirt in the main orifice of the pilot burner, or in the gas tube. Relighting the pilot light is a simple process, but if it continually goes out, there’s probably something amiss.
4. Faulty Thermostat
Problems that you think are due to a broken furnace might actually be an issue with your thermostat. Always check the furnace first to try and diagnose what will be a more serious problem. If you can’t figure out what’s wrong, turn your attention to the thermostat and see what’s wrong.
Make sure that there’s power going to your thermostat and that everything’s clean. Things like temperature swings or a lack of heat could be due to dust and debris in the components.
Solve Your Furnace Problems ASAP
If you’ve got any of these furnace problems, you can take some measures to try and fix them yourself. If it’s not an easy fix, a furnace isn’t necessarily the place to go with a DIY approach. Call a professional if you’re experiencing ongoing furnace issues and let your house be warm once again.
Did you enjoy this post? Come back again for more real estate and home tips.
