20 March 2017
 Categories: , Blog

Your furnace is one of your home's integral appliances, and if it begins to malfunction it can leave you uncomfortable and freezing in the winter months. Thankfully, there are a number of warning signs that you can keep an eye out for to help determine when you need to contact a professional to look into replacing your furnace.

Energy Bills

As a furnace ages and the moving parts become increasingly worn, the entire unit will begin to get less efficient. This can cause your energy bills to rise, even if you are maintaining the same temperature, as your furnace will be working harder and longer to perform the same function. You should contact a professional as soon as possible if you notice a strange uptick in your energy bills, as the longer you wait the more expensive this problem will become.

Uneven Heating

If you notice that specific rooms in your house are less well heated when your furnace is running than others, your furnace may be nearing the end of its lifespan. Alternatively, this can take the form of some rooms becoming much warmer than other rooms. This uneven temperature is because your furnace is not powerful or efficient enough to provide heating to rooms that are further away from the furnace itself. While some simple maintenance tasks, such as cleaning out the furnace filter, can help improve the efficiency of your furnace, the only sure way to permanently restore your unit's efficiency is to have it replaced.

Strange Noises

If you notice that your furnace is making loud banging or squealing noises when it turns on, you should contact a professional immediately to take a look at your unit. Sometimes, this is as simple as a damaged fan belt or other moving part, and can be repaired or replaced quickly and inexpensively, but other times strange noises can point to more serious damage that requires the entire furnace being replaced.

Inaccurate Thermostat

Your furnace may be near the end of its lifespan if there is a significant amount of difference between the temperature on the thermostat and within the rooms of your home. While this can sometimes point to an issue with the thermostat itself, which is a fairly simple and inexpensive fix to have done, it can also be because of your furnace's lack of overall efficiency, as it is unable to reach or maintain the temperature that your thermostat is telling it to.

For more information, contact companies like R & B Inc Heating & Air Conditioning.