Consider your furnace the engine that drives heat through registers and out the vents of your house. Your house becomes unpleasant and, in certain instances, uninhabitable when it begins to have trouble providing heat. Throughout the year, we all depend on our furnaces to operate successfully and efficiently, but how can you tell when these issues are beginning to arise?
Today, we’ll look at warning indicators that might help you determine whether a furnace needs to be repaired. Make an appointment with an HVAC expert for a furnace tune-up or repair when you notice the below signs.
It Won’t Turn On
The furnace not turning on or showing any signs of power is the first indication on our list, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. There are several potential causes for your furnace to fail. Even said, a total failure frequently indicates an issue that was ignored for a prolonged period of time.
If you observe no heat coming out or the furnace’s blower motor is silent, you probably need to repair or replace the furnace. If the proper safety measures aren’t performed, there are several components within a furnace that might be harmful. Therefore, before carrying out any repairs at home, seek a professional for your own safety.
Poor Heating
Any furnace’s primary function is to heat your house. It’s time to arrange a repair if you realize your furnace isn’t doing its job well. Your furnace may not produce enough heat for several reasons, including a filthy air filter, a jammed or damaged blower motor, or even a blocked air duct.
Checking your furnace’s air filter, which requires the most frequent cleaning and replacement, is one of the first stages in solving this issue. If it’s blocked, a replacement filter can be the answer to your problems. It’s time to bring in the experts if the issue still exists after this simple remedy.
Yellow Pilot Light
Your furnace needs a source of heat to make your house any warmer. And if it runs on gas, it needs a burner in order to provide the heat. Burners require pilot lights to function. The pilot light is the ignition flame for a gas burner, which should always be present.
Pilot light flames look blue in color when they are operating normally. This indicates that the flame is receiving enough air for the fuel to burn. However, an issue with the flow of air into the furnace’s combustion chamber is most likely the cause of your pilot light emitting a yellow color.
Noises
If your furnace is making unusual noises, either a problem is now present, or one is developing. Humming, clicking, slamming, screeching, rattling, and even scraping are a few of these odd noises. Typically, different noises represent various problems.
If your blower motor is making a lot of buzzing or scraping, there may be a problem. Various mounting nuts and screws hold the blower motor fan to the motor. A rattling or scraping sound may result from one of these being loose.
A belt may be used to turn the fan and distribute heat around your home, depending on the motor. A whirring or screeching sound might be brought on by a belt that is frayed or worn down.
Smells
Furnaces are supposed to distribute heat, not odors. Strange smells indicate different issues. A gas smell, indicating a potential gas leak, is the most worrisome odor. If your blower motor gets stuck, it may overheat and perhaps start to melt the electrical wire that is attached to it, emitting an odor similar to burnt electricity. A build-up on burning heating coils also creates strange smells.
Stay Healthy
Even though it may be one of the last things on your mind, a furnace malfunction might impact your health or the health of those close to you. Carbon monoxide may enter your house through a damaged heat exchanger in your furnace.
If this occurs, you can suffer from health issues, including headaches and flu-like symptoms. You should leave your house right away if you have these symptoms and are not sick with the flu so that a professional can do an examination and repair.