Ultimate Guide to Furnace Repair

With winters around the corner, you need to make sure that your furnace is working properly. The colder months are not very kind and you will need to keep yourself as warm as possible, which is why repairing your furnace is the most important thing.

When you first turn on your furnace after several months of no use, there might be several repairs waiting for you. Homeowners must get furnace repair services before the winter comes so they are completely ready to face the blistering cold. You can never tell if the furnace will work or if it will bail on you, and this is why you must know all the furnace repairs essentials. Here are some problems that furnace owners face and how they can fix them:

Dirty Air Filters

This is the most common problem for homeowners. Since furnaces are not used during the summers, they can catch a lot of dirt. The air filters, filter out all the dirt and other debris from reaching the furnace itself.

Cleaning these air filters from time to time is very important as clogged air filters do not let air flow. If the air does not flow properly, it might not heat up your room and the furnace will have to work harder to make sure that it heats up the room properly. Not only this, if your furnace continues to work harder than it should, it might overheat the heat exchanger and cause your furnace to shut off. It is important to regularly clean the air filters and if there is a lot of dust, you can replace them completely.

Blocked Vents

If you haven’t used your furnace in a very long time, it is possible that your vents are blocked with something. Before you switch on your furnace, it is important that you make sure all the vents are clear and that there is nothing blocking the airflow. You can easily do it on your own, but if you don’t have the time, you can call a technician to help you with clearing the vents. Check all the vents in your home, and if even one is blocked, the air will not flow properly, causing your furnace to work harder.

Furnace Door Does Not Open

When you turn on your furnace for the first time in a long time, it might not work right away. There can be many reasons why your furnace does not turn on and one of them can be that your safety switch is off. The furnace door has a safety switch that stops furnace burners. This switch helps prevent injuries. People can easily burn themselves and the switch prevents that from happening. Make sure it is on.

The next thing you need to check for is that the access door is secure. Open the door, open the switch and then reinstall the door to make sure that it is working fine. If this does not work, you can consider changing the switch or getting an expert for furnace repair.

Faulty Thermostat

Sometimes furnaces work properly, but the thermostat’s are at fault. One way to identify that your thermostat is not working is by noticing if the furnace kicks on when you move the thermostat. A very basic mistake can be that your thermostat is set on cool rather than on heating mode. Ensure that it is set on heat and that the fan should be set on auto.

Your thermostat may have run out of batteries. Check the thermostat for batteries and make sure that it has new batteries to ensure it works fine. Replace the batteries if they have run out of charge. If your thermostat does not use batteries, make sure they have the right electric connection, and there are no problems.

Inconsistent Heating

One more way you can tell your furnace is not working is by noticing the temperature changes. If the temperature is not consistent throughout your home, it means that your heater is not working fine. This means that your furnace is switching off too quickly, not getting enough time to warm up the house properly. If this is the case with you, it is best to seek furnace repair assistance and allow the expert to fix the problem for you. There can also be be issues with the air filter, the furnace blower motor, and other components of your furnace.

Noisy Furnace

If your furnace is making a weird noise, then there may be something wrong. The only noise you can hear in usual circumstances is the turning on and off of the furnace. If your furnace is making noises like scraping, squealing, banging, and whistling, you need to reach out to a furnace repair expert right away.

Your furnace might have loose screws and other faults that can cause the noise. You might not be able to identify the noise on your own, so it is best that you get an expert to take a look.

Gas Leak

Gas leaks are one of the most dangerous furnace faults with a furnace. However, it is easy to detect a gas leak as you will be able to smell it in your house. You simply cannot ignore a gas leak as it is a life-threatening problem and can cause severe damage. You must reach out to an expert immediately and let them investigate the leak. Meanwhile, as a safety precaution, you must turn off the heat supply to your home so that the leak is stopped. Do not turn it on until you are sure that the leak is fixed.

There can also be other noticeable smells that you must be wary of. Contact an expert as soon as you can so that the problem does not escalate.