When you reside in the South Mountain, Ontario area you get used to the cold and when Spring hits, most are ready to shut down the furnace and work out the cooling systems in our homes. Professionals encourage regular and early scheduling of AC maintenance but also discourage negligence of furnaces. Your home furnace may be experiencing troubles that may require repair or some parts replaced. Ignoring these issues may lead to total system breakdown and render your furnace useless during the next fall.
Here are some early warning signs that your furnace may be on the verge of a breakdown and requires repair:
Foul Odors Coming from the Vents
Mouldy smells may be detected coming from the vents during the first cycles. The dust from the ducts is blown into the living space and burnt along the heat exchanger. However, if this odour continues past that time or comes back again, that is a clear sign that the motor is overheating or there is an electrical problem.
Constantly Tripped Circuit Breakers
Electrical power that goes into the running of a natural gas furnace is not usually given much thought by homeowners. Electricity is needed to run system components like the fan, limit switch and igniter. If there is a regular circuit breaker trip it may indicate that the fan motor is being overburdened.
Rooms Are Colder Than They Should Be
If there is anyone in your household complaining that their room seems not to get warm and you own an old model furnace this may mean that your heater may be losing its efficiency and effectiveness and heating power.
Another common possibility is that you may have conditioned air leaking through a breached ductwork. A breached ductwork will require immediate action and repair since it is a major component for your heating and cooling efforts.
Your Utility Bills Have Suddenly Spiked
When you notice a significant rise in your heating bills this might be a sign that there is a malfunction in the heating system that is creating an energy drain.
Short-Cycling
This is when your furnace turns on and off rapidly over a short period of time and it doesn’t complete a whole heating cycle. There are a couple of reasons for this including poor sizing during installation. Whichever the case it should be repaired immediately if you wish your furnace to last through another cold season.
Maintenance and repairs may seem costly at the time but they are cheap if you take into account that if your furnace breaks down completely you will need a whole replacement.
