Do you use a furnace for your winter heating needs? Since the furnace is the most common type of residential heating system across the country—ahead of boilers and heat pumps—chances are high that you do. A furnace can offer powerful heating and reliable performance, but like any type of complex mechanical system, it can malfunction and need attention from trained professionals.
We offer the heating repair in Westfield, NJ that can get your malfunctioning furnace back to work. However, we know that some furnace issues can be a bit tricky to spot at first. To help you detect problems early so you can get us out to help before the trouble worsens and you end up with a cold house, we’ve put together a list of warning signs. When you notice these, contact us and we’ll be there to locate the problem and fix it.
Too much noise or odd noises
If you’ve already had your furnace for a few seasons, you’re familiar with the sounds it makes as it runs and goes through its heating cycle. When the furnace becomes noisier than usual, or you hear sounds you don’t expect, it often means something is wrong. These odd noises can include mechanical shrieking (motor bearings running down), grinding (motors in need of lubrication), clicking (cracks in the heat exchanger), and rattling (general loose parts, often in the blowers). It takes a professional to determine what’s actually wrong and have it fixed.
The furnace keeps turning on and off rapidly
This is a situation known as short-cycling, and it can indicate a number of problems. Something is causing the furnace to finish its heating cycle too early, and this places immense strain on the components, raises energy costs, and doesn’t give the furnace time to send heat evenly around a house. The trouble could be as simple as a clogged filter or as big as a furnace that’s improperly sized. An HVAC technician will get to the bottom of the short-cycling so it can be fixed.
Energy bills are higher than expected
If your first set of bills for the heating season almost sent you into a panic because they’re so high, the problem may be with the heating system itself. Malfunctions often cause a furnace to work harder than necessary, and this is what leads to a rise in bills. Have it looked into!
Cold spots in the house
The furnace is running and everything with it seems fine—except you notice rooms in your house are colder than they usually are. This can point toward a number of different problems, such as leaks in the ductwork, but it could also be a furnace that’s losing its heating power so that heat is only reaching some of the rooms.
The furnace trips the circuit breaker
(Yes, a gas furnace uses electrical power as well!) If the furnace blower comes on and it causes a circuit breaker to trip, there’s probably an electrical fault with the blower motor that needs to be repaired.
Air Creations, Inc. serves Central and Northern New Jersey. “We Do It Right!” since 1987.
