When it comes to furnace problems, it’s always better to be proactive and stay ahead of issues before they cause a complete breakdown. The problem with this is that some furnace issues are quieter and less obvious, making them harder to identify
But when you know what to look for, you can easily know when something is going wrong with your furnace, even when the signs are subtle. When you do think that anything is wrong with your furnace, give our team a call to schedule furnace repair in Hickory. You can keep reading to learn more about some of the quieter signs that your furnace is struggling to operate.
1. Unusual Smells
Bad odors are always a sign of something being wrong inside your furnace. There may be a burning smell that indicates something is either overheating or indeed burning. Or there may be a bad odor like rotten eggs which can mean you have a gas leak.
If the air smells stale or dirty, exhaust air may be getting trapped in the system instead of channeling outside. No matter what the reason for a bad odor, you definitely need to call and schedule service sooner rather than later. Bad odors are more than just annoying. They can be major red flags that there is a safety issue with your furnace.
2. Short or Long Heating Cycles
We also encourage you to pay attention to the length of heating cycles for your furnace. No need to take out a stopwatch and time them though. A rough estimate of heating cycles is fine since they can vary from unit to unit. Your residential furnace should cycle regularly between being on and off. It will heat your home and then turn off again for 10-15 minutes or so before turning back on for another cycle.
If your furnace is turning on and staying on for a long period of time, or turning on and off every couple of minutes, something is wrong. Either a sensor is malfunctioning and allowing your heater to stay on for too long, or there’s a safety issue that is preventing your heater from being able to stay on long enough to heat your home.
Either scenario is dangerous. Your furnace is more likely to overheat if it is staying on for long periods of time without taking breaks in between. It’s also taking on a lot of extra strain by turning on and off frequently in an effort to heat your home without any success.
3. Changes in Energy Costs
If your energy bill suddenly spikes up or trends upward month after month without stabilizing and going back down, something may be wrong with your furnace. If you haven’t made any changes to the way you use energy in your home, like turning up the temperature on your thermostat or adding in new appliances and technology, increasing costs may be because of the lack of furnace efficiency.
If something is going wrong with your furnace, whether you realize it or not, the unit is working even harder to produce results for your home. This is consuming more energy and costing you more money each month. A simple tune-up could be the answer for fixing whatever the problem is and stabilizing or reducing your energy costs for heating.
Thank you for choosing Ace Hardware Home Services. Call us today to schedule an appointment for air conditioning service.