Troubleshooting Tips for Finicky Furnaces
A finicky furnace would be described as one that works intermittently, doesn’t heat properly, or makes strange noises when it runs. The fact that it’s exhibiting these symptoms probably makes you want to just throw in the towel and get a new furnace. What if there is a way you can troubleshoot your furnace a bit before you completely give up and call an Atlanta heating company? Here are some simple tips.
A Clogged Filter
In between the return vents and the furnace lies your HVAC air filter. All the air must go through this one filter. Its job is to collect dust from your living space and prevent it from getting stuck in the blower. If your filter is clogged, it becomes harder to pull air through your system, preventing good flow of heat away from the furnace to your living space. The best thing to do is locate the filter and check it. If it is dirty, replace it with one that is the same dimensions from your local home improvement store.
Turn up the Heat
Raising the thermostat is a great way to test out your furnace. Turn it up 5 degrees. See if that makes a difference in how the heater runs. If it runs for just a short time and then stops, you may have a deeper problem like a dirty flame sensor. Time to call the pros, but at least you’ll be better able to tell them what is going on.
Are Your Heat Vents Open?
Sure, this is a basic step, but many times, the basic things are the cause of the problem. Heat vents can be completely closed if you don’t want a room to be heated. This is similar to how vents on the dashboard of a car can be closed when a passenger doesn’t want the heat. Maybe you forgot to open a vent after you closed it during the summer in a room you weren’t using. Turn on the heat and go around checking all the vents to make sure they are blowing air. If not, switch the vent back to open.
Blocked Vents
If your vents are blocked, you can run into big problems. Maybe when you were rearranging the furniture a vent was blocked because the new layout begged for it. If furniture blocks a vent, it inhibits proper HVAC function, leading to certain parts of the house being colder than others. Move the furniture, fixing the problem.
Screeching Sound
A screeching sound probably means that something is about to fail catastrophically in your furnace. The blower belt could be loose or about to snap. Bearings could be going out on your blower or blower motor. Unless you are more than just a casual handy person it’s time to call an expert before the whole system goes down.
Cure for the Finicky Furnace
It’s good to do some preliminary troubleshooting to cure your finicky furnace. If you can’t figure it out, don’t stress. Anytime Heating and Cooling Inc. will come and fix what’s wrong with your furnace. It’s our specialty. If the furnace stops working in the middle of the night, no worries. We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that we are there when you need us the most. Call Anytime Heating and Cooling Inc. anytime.
