We all know that winter is coming and we need to prepare the outside of our homes for the season ahead, but don’t forget about your inside home comfort systems! The last thing you want is for your furnace to die when you need it the most. If you pay attention, your furnace will usually give you some signs to tell you that it’s about to stop working. Keep reading to learn about these telltale signs that your furnace is about to die.
1. Strange Noises
One of the first signs that your furnace is going to die is the sudden appearance of strange sounds. Some furnaces sound different depending on the brand, size, and capacity, but you know how your furnace is supposed to sound — quiet, or at least a fairly quiet hum of the blower.
If you start to hear rattling, buzzing, banging, screeching, clicking, or any other noises that you don’t recall hearing from your furnace before, call your furnace technician right away so they can look at your unit and make any repairs that might be needed.
2. Constantly Resetting Your Furnace
Your furnace should work properly without much needed from you. However, if you find yourself regularly resetting it to make it work again, it might be trying to tell you something. Whether you’re resetting your furnace because the thermostat isn’t working properly, or the furnace is not turning on at all, you shouldn’t have to reset your furnace on a regular basis. This is a red flag.
3. It’s Not Putting Out Enough Warm Air
If your thermostat seems to be working, but you notice that your home is just not reaching the temperature you’ve set your furnace to. You’ll want to get your furnace checked to make sure there isn’t an issue with your blower, the cold air return, or something even more serious.
4. It Smells
When your furnace is working properly, it shouldn’t produce any kind of smell at all. If you’ve turned on your furnace after a long summer, you may notice one of three smells: electrical or metallic smells, rotten egg smell, or dusty burning smell. Each one has its own cause, whether it’s components inside that are getting too hot, a sign of a gas leak, or a sign that you need a deep cleaning. If you ever notice a smell coming from your furnace, turn it off immediately and call your furnace technician.
5. Your Utility Bills Are Going Up
As furnaces age, their energy efficiency starts to decrease. You may also be speeding up the aging process if your furnace isn’t having yearly maintenance performed or if you’re not changing your filters. While gradual, small increases in utility bills may be normal for an aging unit, if you see a drastic increase this winter, your furnace may be on its last legs. It may simply benefit from a tune-up, or you may need to replace your unit.
Don’t Get Red-Tagged!
Technicians in Ontario are required to tag gas-powered appliances with red tags in the event that they are in “unacceptable condition” and shouldn’t be used before they are repaired.
In some cases, if the problem is serious, the technician may be forced to turn off the gas to your furnace for your safety. You don’t want to wait for this to happen before you take action to fix or replace your furnace!
If you’re a homeowner in Ontario, there are some great rebates available. You can get hundreds of dollars in rebates for upgrading to an energy efficient unit from IESO, Union Gas, and the Government of Ontario.
Click here to learn more.
At Cross Heating, we can help with all your furnace needs.
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Brad Cross, an accomplished HVAC professional, has made significant contributions to residential air system design and i... more
