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Five Signs Your Furnace Needs Repair
Don’t get stuck in the cold with a broken furnace this winter. Pay attention and be on the lookout for warning signs your furnace needs repair, now.
Furnace problems usually don’t hit us completely out of the blue, and if you know what to look and listen for as a home owner, chances are good, you won’t find yourself home in the cold with a broken furnace, or worse a furnace that needs replacement.
5 Ways Your Furnace Asks for Help
- Dust around furnace vents
- Advanced age
- Yellow pilot light
- Strange noises
- High utility bills
Furnaces are not supposed to be blowing cold air but warming your home. There are some simple reasons for this, such as the thermostat being on the wrong setting, but if your furnace has consistently been heating and all of a sudden starts putting our cold air, trouble is brewing.
Check your heating bills and watch for unexpected increases in energy costs. Modern furnaces are built to last from 20 to 25 years, so if yours is getting up there, be more vigilant about signs it may need repair. Should your pilot light, visible through the front of some furnaces, appear yellow, you should call a heating professional for a tune-up. Even if you cannot see the light, depending on the model of furnace in your home, annual furnace tune-ups are an important part of responsible home ownership.
It’s a common misconception that furnace tune-ups need to be done in the winter and air conditioner tune-ups should be done in the summer. This is not the case. Like oil changes or dental check-ups, your home heating and cooling systems need checked twice a year, in any month or season of the year.
Listening and Looking
Pay attention to how your heating system sounds as it operates and listen from time to time to make sure it consistently puts out the same sounds. If you begin to hear strange sounds coming from your furnace, it is a good sign something is awry. If you begin to notice an unusual amount of dust accumulating near the furnace vents, first check and replace filter if needed. If the dust continues to appear, it is time to call for repairs.
A combination of telltale signs to be aware of that can signal a furnace in need of repair include increased energy bills that are not weather-related, if your furnace has started to need frequent service, if your home is not being evenly heated, if the unit is cycling on and off frequently and if it is putting out excessive dust, soot, dirt or rust particles.
Call, click or text our heating professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to find out how we can serve your home heating needs. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan from our 12 locations. Call (574) 255-4600 to learn about our heating repair and installation on all makes and models of furnaces