The best way to prevent furnace problems is to know what signs to watch for so you can keep them from ever happening. When you pay attention to how your furnace operates, you can identify problems before they get out of hand.
Our team can visit your home to provide service for everything from maintenance to repairs and even furnace replacement in Staten Island, NY. Just give us a call to schedule your appointment. You can also keep reading to learn more about common furnace problems and how to identify them.
Thermostat
You set the temperature on your thermostat, and then your thermostat’s job is to signal when your furnace should turn on and off for heating cycles. Usually, your furnace turns on and heats your home for a while before turning off again once the desired temperature is reached. These on-and-off cycles continue throughout the day and night to help your home maintain a consistently comfortable temperature.
But if your thermostat is dirty, has low batteries, or is calibrated incorrectly, these signals do not happen the way they should. Instead, your thermostat may signal for your furnace to stay on for too long, not long enough, or anywhere in between.
Usually, troubleshooting thermostat problems is a pretty simple task. We can check the battery levels, brush out the inside of your thermostat to eliminate any dust buildup, and then re-calibrate the unit. If none of these steps work, we can replace your thermostat instead with a new model.
Ignition
If your thermostat is not turning on the way you think it should, pay close attention to the beginning of a heating cycle. Is your furnace making a clicking or ticking sound repeatedly without ever turning on? If so, ignition problems may be to blame if you have a gas furnace.
For your gas furnace to produce heat, the flame has to ignite and combust with gas in the chamber. But if the flame cannot ignite, the heating process stops before it ever begins.
Lack of Airflow
If your furnace does not have strong airflow into and out of the unit, it cannot produce heat effectively. Checking the air intake means taking a look at the location of the air filter. If your heat pump’s air filter is clogged with dirt and dust, you need to change it. A full air filter does not allow airflow to pass through, resulting in a lack of air inside the furnace.
It’s also possible that the exhaust vent leading out of your furnace is blocked or clogged. This traps heat in the unit instead of moving it through the ductwork and out into your home. Without enough airflow in both directions, the furnace will turn off before completing a heating cycle to prevent the unit from overheating.
Ductwork Issues
Sometimes your furnace isn’t even the problem. Instead, it is the attached ductwork causing issues. Your furnace may be working just fine to produce heat, but the heat is escaping through holes in the ductwork before ever reaching your home. This can make it seem like your furnace isn’t working when really your ductwork just needs to be cleaned and resealed
Serving Staten Island’s Heating and A/C needs since 1955. Contact the Bob Mims team to schedule an appointment for your furnace service today!
