When you come home after a long hard day at work, you want to walk into a cozy space that’s filled with comfort and warmth. You certainly don’t want to be welcomed home by a quitter furnace in the middle of winter. When functioning well, your furnace is able to keep the temperature indoors at the right level. In fact, you won’t even be able to notice it operating in the background.
Even though your furnace is designed to operate seamlessly and have a long life, there are still chances that something may go wrong. In many situations, a furnace issue is relatively easy to repair and homeowners can even do some troubleshooting on their own.
However, you should contact a professional to avoid causing additional damage to the furnace, especially when you’ve just bought a brand-new one and want to install it. For instance, if you live in Ottawa, CA you should check out a reliable furnace installation Ottawa-based company to find technicians that will help you save more money, stop paying extra fees and get fast heating, cooling, and air quality when you need them.
Below we share some of the most common issues you can expect as a furnace owner and know when to contact a professional to take care of them.
Doesn’t Throw Off Enough Heat
Usually, homeowners ask for help when a furnace is not throwing off enough heat in their living spaces. A malfunctioning furnace that isn’t properly heating the space can result in a lot of discomfort and frustration. There are numerous reasons why your furnace might not be heating as it should. First of all, it might be throwing off some heat but if it’s just not enough, then the problem might lie with a clogged filter or the size of the furnace.
Let’s picture the duct system. The farther the air gets from your furnace, the smaller the ducts are required. This will help push the heat evenly throughout the living space, instead of having rooms in your home that are too cold on the outskirts of the house. If this is the case in your home, call in the experts since replacing ductwork isn’t an easy task or a DIY project.
If the furnace is not producing any heat at all, then you could be having problems with the gas source, pilot light, or even a malfunctioning thermostat. Since all these issues deal with hazardous substances, we highly recommend hiring a professional
The Furnace Keeps Turning On and Off
When furnaces heat a home, they usually cycle on and off, attempting to maintain the temperature that is programmed on the thermostat. Depending on the set temperature and the outdoor temperature, your furnace might cycle on, heat the home to the desired temperature, and then cycle off again several times an hour.
If a furnace begins short cycling or if it turns on and off frequently without reaching the programmed temperature, this is a sign that something is off. During a short cycle, the furnace will run for only a couple of minutes before turning off again. The reason for a short cycle is usually a lack of airflow in the furnace, which leads to overheating.
Furnaces have built-in safety switches that will shut down the system if the temperature gets too high. A clogged air filter may restrict airflow, causing overheating and the safety switch going off. If your furnace is frequently turning on and off and not heating to the wanted temperature, you should check and replace the air filter. If this doesn’t solve your issue, contact a technician to examine the problem.
Wear And Tear
As time passes by, your furnace will start wearing out. Components will become dull, slow, and bent as they’ve gone through a lot of years of heating cycles. If just one of those components fails, it can make the entire unit stop operating. Knowing what exact component is damaged can be difficult so you’ll have to call an expert to bring their advanced diagnostic equipment to examine the entire furnace.
Irregular Maintenance
As with everything else, your furnace requires regular maintenance. It needs filter changes, cleaning, component upgrades, and other adjustments. If you fail to provide adequate maintenance, the furnace will probably break down and age much faster compared to a well-maintained furnace.
In Closing
We might not give our furnaces a lot of thought but when they fail, we immediately want to identify and correct the issue. Even though you might fix some of the issues alone, we strongly advise hiring an expert when the furnace isn’t working properly. Also, always keep in mind that regular maintenance and inspections can help you avoid breakdowns and poor furnace performance.
