Even with proper maintenance and proper upkeep, any furnace may encounter difficulties over the years. While some issues may simply result in a loss of warm air or less-than-optimal efficiency, other problems might pose a danger to your family.
These issues have the potential to remain undetected for long periods of time, so it’s crucial to remain vigilant when it comes to inspecting your furnace and responding to any potential problems with professional heating repair.
Common Furnace Problems
To keep your home safe and sound while your furnace does its job, keep an eye out for these ten common household furnace options:
1. Dirty Filters
If you encounter any sort of issue with your furnace, your air filter should almost always be your first stop when it comes to troubleshooting. A dirty, clogged filter can not only raise your monthly energy costs by 15 percent but also create a huge amount of strain on your system. This in turn, leads to extensive damage and a wide range of potentially costly repairs.
2. Heat Exchanger Cracking and Damage
Your heat exchanger is a critical part of your system that, like your air filters, requires maintenance and attention to continue doing its job correctly and reliably over the years. Cracks in this area limit your furnace’s effectiveness and pose a serious danger to everyone within your home if not caught correctly. Harmful gasses could escape from even small cracks in this system, leading to serious illness for those who are exposed for long periods of time. Having a professional furnace technician in Aurora, CO, out to inspect your furnace system on a regular basis, and keeping an eye on this part yourself is a must.
3. Malfunctioning Pilot or Ignition
If your pilot light goes out or your electrical ignition encounters issues, your furnace will likely cease to function altogether. These portions of the system are what get things up and moving and allow heating to happen. If you’re experiencing either a loss of warm air or no air coming through your vents at all when your furnace is running, you may be dealing with an issue of this nature.
4. A Flickering or Discolored Pilot Light
Ideally, your pilot light should be steady and clear blue in color. If you notice that your pilot light is flickering, blows out frequently, or has turned yellow, it’s time to call in a team of professionals for repairs. Changes such as these may highlight the presence of excessive carbon monoxide in a gas-powered furnace, which could lead to illness and other serious hazards. If you notice any of these signs, do not wait to perform repairs. Contact a heating repair company in Aurora, CO, right away.
5. Damaged Power Belts
Your furnace may not be completely silent at all times, but the presence of high-pitched squealing or squeaking sounds is definitely not something you should ignore. This may highlight the presence of a frayed or slipped power belt within your system. A broken belt makes it impossible for your furnace to move air through your ductwork, leading to both a lack of warm air and a dip in efficiency. Have your belt replaced to fix this issue.
6. Thermostat Malfunction
Your thermostat has direct control over the overall operation of your furnace, so when a thermostat malfunction occurs, you can expect severely reduced efficiency or warm air within your home. Over time, wires inside your thermostat wear out, which may lead to shorts, which in turn also damages various sensors within the device and electronic systems within the furnace itself. Incorrect readings within the thermostats also leads to short cycling and serious energy waste if the issue is left untreated for too long.
7. Wear and Tear on Ball Bearings
Like many modern machines, various parts of your furnace rely on ball bearings to keep crucial parts moving. Ball bearings are most often used to reduce friction between moving parts, a crucial function that results in serious wear and tear over the years. These wear out over time, a problem that makes itself known through a scraping, grinding sound inside the furnace. If you notice this issue, turn off your furnace immediately and call in the Weather Changers for a bit of crucial heating maintenance and repair.
8. Faulty Limit Switch
One crucial part of the blower assembly is the limit switch. It’s designed to turn on and off the entire blower assembly to ensure smooth operation and provide important safety measures by shutting down the blower system in the event that your furnace begins overheating. If your furnace is constantly blowing warm air into your home, it may be an indicator that your limit switch is broken. Have this part professionally inspected and replaced as soon as possible to ensure your system continues working safely and smoothly.
9. Cycling Too Frequently
Your furnace should be cycling on and off in order to maintain the temperature indicated by your thermostat settings, but cycling on and off too often is also a sign that something is wrong with your furnace’s inner workings. Short cycling is an issue with a wide range of causes, some of them as simple as a clogged air filter or a thermostat setting and others as complex as wiring issues and obstructed airflow. Take steps to repair the issue as soon as possible in order to prevent energy waste within your home and strain on your system. If changing air filters, switching thermostat settings or ensuring vents are unobstructed doesn’t fix the issue, reach out to the Weather Changers for a more thorough inspection.
10. A Noisy Furnace
Your furnace might emit a low hum during operation, but most noises within a furnace are considered abnormal and are indicative that one or more parts aren’t working properly. If rumbling, squeaking, squealing, or rattling can be heard while your furnace is running, it’s always a smart idea to contact a heater maintenance professional in Aurora for a checkup and potential repairs. Taking care of the issue quickly helps you mitigate further damage and saves you time, money, and hassle in the long run.
Care for Your Furnace
Keeping your furnace running smoothly requires a bit of work, but keeping an eye out for these common problems can keep your system running stronger and longer. While there are some repairs you may be able to take care of alone; others will require a professional to handle properly and safely.
Trust the Weather Changers to handle these repairs in order to keep your furnace in pristine condition in the years to come. We bring integrity, industry knowledge, and over a decade of experience to the table and offer a wide range of services, from heating repair to indoor air quality control and beyond, making us the go-to choice for homeowners in the Aurora area. Contact us and explore our prices to learn more about how we can help keep your furnace and home safe and efficient and about what sets our top-quality work above the rest.
