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A furnace is critical to your household’s comfort on cool days. However, it needs to operate effectively, efficiently, and safely. Identifying issues early through a program of preventative maintenance is the best approach. Here is how you can avoid some common furnace problems through preventative maintenance. Aside from lowering your monthly bills thanks to a more efficient system, avoiding having to call for as many furnace repairs means that proper maintenance can save you money in the long run.
Filters
Your furnace filter catches dust, lint, and other particles before they can cause trouble. A clogged filter means less air can move through your heating system, making it work overtime to keep your home warm.
If you don’t change the filter regularly, a few things can happen. First, your heating system will use more energy, which means higher electric bills. Energy costs may go up by 15% or more just because of a dirty filter. Second, the system will suffer more wear and tear. Dust, pet dander, hair, mold, and other tiny particles can also spread through your home’s air. In extreme cases, clogged filters can shut the furnace down entirely or lead to poor airflow.
Most homeowners should change their furnace’s filter every three months. However, that schedule may need to be more aggressive if your household includes:
- Multiple pets
- Someone with a respiratory condition
- Dusty areas
- Young children
Make sure to get the right size and type of filter for your furnace. Running a high-capacity one like a HEPA filter in a furnace not rated for it can cause more problems than it solves. Such filters can starve the furnace of airflow, almost like it was clogged. If you’re unsure which filter is right for your system, ask us.
Changing the filter is a job that you can usually handle yourself. However, you may want to have one of our technicians identify the locations of all the filters in your system. Likewise, we are perfectly happy to handle filter replacements if you don’t have the time or aren’t comfortable with the task.
Furnace Settings
Your furnace has different settings that control how it works. The right settings can help you save money and keep your home comfortable. There are typically settings on the furnace itself that determine how it uses fuel, when it triggers the blower motor, which stages fire at what times, and how long the system runs.
A common problem is that a previous homeowner might have fiddled with the settings. Some folks mistakenly believe that modifying the settings leads to greater efficiency. However, changing the settings also risks running the furnace out of spec, which can lead to performance and efficiency issues and shorten the furnace’s service life.
Another problem is that the best furnace settings are likely to change as the system ages. Without a technical understanding of the furnace, the best you can do is guess what the best settings might be.
Common signs of problems with a furnace’s settings include short or long cycles, poor performance, and excessive heat. The wrong settings can drive up your utility bills, too. However, many homeowners don’t notice the problem at all. They get used to the furnace’s performance without recognizing what’s wrong.
Fortunately, our technicians can inspect your furnace’s settings during its annual checkup. We can see the manufacturer’s specifications. If the performance is unsatisfying after we make modifications, we can tweak it accordingly.
Burners
Inside a furnace that uses gas or a similar fuel source, the burners are essentially its engine. The burners create the heat that warms up your home. When they get dirty, they can’t work as well as they should. Dirty burners produce uneven heat. They may also prevent the clean flow of gas into the furnace. In extreme cases, dirty burners may cause the furnace to shut off entirely or leak gas into the living space. Burner problems can also trigger hard or loud ignitions.
Corrosion is another common problem with furnace burners. As the system ages, minerals and water in the air can affect the metal in the burners. This weakens the burners and potentially causes problems. Corrosion can also affect the lines leading into the burners, possibly creating a fire hazard.
The color of the flame can tell you a lot about a furnace’s burners. A healthy flame should be blue and steady. If the flame is yellow, orange, or flickering, that could mean the burners need cleaning. There also could be a problem with the quality of the fuel supply due to something like a clogged gas line.
Cleaning the burners in a furnace is one of the most basic preventative maintenance tasks in the business. Our technicians inspect the burners on every system during every annual checkup.
Blower Motor
The blower motor moves the warm air from the furnace to other parts of your home. When the motor is working well, your home stays warm and comfortable. Just like you want your heartbeat to be steady and free of problems, you want your furnace’s blower motor to run quietly and to push the right amount of air.
Sounds tend to be a big sign that something isn’t right with a furnace’s blower motor. Depending on what’s wrong, the blower motor could make grinding, clicking, or squealing sounds. Also, any noticeable recent uptick in the amount of noise from the furnace is probably not good. Another sign of potential trouble is that you can feel vibrations from the floor when the furnace comes on.
Several issues can trigger blower motor problems. Bearings can wear out, a belt could fail, electrical issues may cause the blower motor to malfunction, and the motor could be straining because it’s getting old. Other problems on this list can also cause a blower motor to strain. For example, clogged filters will cause trouble.
Once more, checking the state of the blower motor is a part of our typical annual inspection process. We lubricate moving parts to ensure that they experience less wear. If we find evidence of motor wear, we might suggest replacing it before it causes more problems with the furnace. Like other components in a furnace, the motor can also just get dirty and require cleaning.
Ducts
A home’s ductwork is as important to the furnace’s operation as the internal components are. Dirty ducts can reduce airflow. The same goes for ducts that have gaps. Also, the existing ductwork might not have the most efficient design for your home.
Cleaning the ducts is often the solution. In some cases, you might want one of our technicians to redo the ductwork to close gaps or eliminate inefficiencies. For example, some houses have leftover ducts that no longer go anywhere. Even if the previous homeowner closed these off, they may still induce some inefficiency.
Atticman Heating and Air Conditioning, Insulation is here to serve the people of Sacramento and the surrounding areas. We offer numerous heating solutions, including work on heat pumps. Our technicians can quickly install, upgrade, repair, or maintain your home’s heating system.
Preventative heating maintenance is essential for your home’s furnace, so contact Atticman Heating and Air Conditioning, Insulation today to schedule a checkup.
