Furnace Repairs You May Need Before Winter
The surest way to keep your home comfortable and warm during the winter is by making sure that your furnace is in good working order. Unfortunately, however, this is something that most people fail to do right up until they need their heating equipment.
After sitting dormant all summer, and after having weathered the constant use of the past winter, it may be that your heating system isn’t ready. Turning it on and getting a dusty smell is a good sign that you’ve overlooked your annual furnace tune-up. It can also be that you’ve simply failed to schedule it in a timely fashion. But what happens when your furnace won’t turn on at all?
There’s also the common problem of switching this unit on only to be greeted by loud, clanking sounds. In fact, even if it does function, and operates quietly, you may find that your furnace is simply incapable of heating your home properly. When issues like these arise, furnace repairs are likely required.
Furnace Repairs You May Encounter At The Beginning Of The Heating Season
Contents
- 1 Furnace Repairs You May Encounter At The Beginning Of The Heating Season
In this article, we discuss some telltale signs that your furnace requires a repair. We discuss how to troubleshoot your heating system and some common repair issues that furnaces experience. We will also cover when you should repair or replace your furnace.
Signs That You Need A Furnace Repair
Evidence that your furnace needs to be serviced or repaired should be relatively easy to spot. From strange noises to unpleasant odors and slow heating abilities, this equipment will alert you to troubles in a variety of ways.
Common Furnace Repairs
Following is a shortlist of some of the most common furnace repairs. Taking care of these issues in a timely fashion will limit stress on the system, ensure higher levels of efficiency, and prevent energy waste. As such, it will also keep your winter energy bills from skyrocketing. Furthermore, it will prevent a minor issue from escalating into a major and more costly one.
Slow And Inefficient Heating
One of the surest signs that your furnace needs to be repaired is a failure to heat the home in a timely fashion. Your system may have to run harder and longer than it did the winter before to create and maintain a suitably warm and comfortable living environment.
If you happen to have an electric furnace in your home, this may mean that one or more of the heating elements have burned out. Not only will this result in insufficient heating and inefficient operation, but it will also place a tremendous amount of stress on the remaining, working elements.
In this case, a trusted furnace repair company can easily replace all damaged or broken elements before the problem starts spiraling out of control.
A Dusty And Poorly Maintained Burner
When it comes to dusty and pervasive odors, this may mean that the furnace vents simply need to be cleaned out. This is a maintenance step that many homeowners are capable of doing on their own. For a gas furnace, however, these odors can alternatively indicate a dirty burner. This happens when dirt and other debris build up on this component throughout the months of summer and spring. Although this repair is just a matter of wiping the burner off, the burner will need to be removed to get a thorough cleaning. As such, this is a service that is generally best left in the hands of qualified HVAC professionals.
The Igniter Is Damaged Or Broken
Many newer furnaces no longer have pilot lights. If you have an older unit in your home, however, and if this unit refuses to turn on, there’s likely a problem with the pilot light. Once the igniter for your pilot light fails, it will not be possible to activate burners at all. In this instance, you may be able to get away with an igniter replacement. Due to the significant age of furnaces that have pilot lights, this problem could also mean that it’s time to get a new furnace entirely.
A Damaged Blower Motor
Another sign that your furnace is likely nearing the end of its lifespan is a damaged blower motor. This is a problem common to central HVAC systems since it uses the same blower fan all year long to distribute both heated and cooled air. If you rely heavily on your AC system during the hot summer months, this mechanism can lose lubrication and begin to wear down. This is all the more true if you aren’t scheduling regular maintenance visits and tune-ups.
Furnace Troubleshooting Tips
If your furnace is still under the manufacturer’s warranty, you shouldn’t attempt to perform any major repairs on your own. In fact, signs that you have removed specific components or taken off the covers of any moving parts could cause this important agreement to be automatically voided. Also, only a trained HVAC professional can ensure that your heating equipment is not malfunctioning in any way that would put building residents at risk. There are a few simple things that you can do to improve the efficiency of your heater. However, you’ll always want to leave the major work in the hands of qualified professionals.
One of the first and easiest troubleshooting steps that homeowners can do when dealing with a malfunctioning heater is to check the system filter. It may be that a significant amount of dirt, dander, and other debris and particulates are causing the entire system to overheat. This is common when homeowners forget to replace the filter in central HVAC systems on a regular basis.
Troubleshooting And When To Call The HVAC Professionals
When attempting to troubleshoot your furnace problems, never take the cover off of any moving or mechanized component. For instance, if you suspect that your blower motor has gone out, have a licensed HVAC technician confirm this fact. In most instances, removing the motor cover on your own will instantly void the system warranty.
When To Repair Vs. Replace Your Furnace
You will need to replace your furnace once it reaches or nears the end of its lifespan. It is also a good idea to pay for a system replacement when the costs of ongoing furnace repairs start adding up. More often than not, older furnaces will have a consistent need for professional servicing that results in considerable spending overall. When this is the case, the costs of installing a newer and far more efficient system will prove more than worthwhile.
Call Lawes Company For All Of Your Furnace Requirements
Lawes Company offers reliable and affordable HVAC services. Our technicians have NATE certifications, so you can be sure that they have the experience and training to maintain or repair most heating systems.
You can count on us to accurately diagnose your system’s issues. Likewise, you can expect our experienced technicians to offer you the best and most affordable solutions to remedy the problem. We guarantee all of our work.
If your furnace is acting up, be sure to give us a call to schedule a free estimate. Call Lawes Company today!
Contact us now at (732) 741-6300 to find out more!