4 Things That Can Potentially Go Wrong With A Furnace
When your home's furnace starts having problems, it generally goes unnoticed. The furnace kicks on when the temperature drops, and your home feels comfortable. However, furnace problems can easily cause your home to feel miserable in the winter. Here are 4 things that can go wrong with your furnace.
Thermostat Problems
There are many things that can go wrong with a thermostat that you may not be aware of. For starters, while some thermostats run on a power supply that connects directly to the furnace, others require batteries. Dead batteries means that the furnace has no way to determine what the temperature is and when it should turn on the heat. Other problems include pests that can chew through those cables connecting the thermostat to the furnace, making it not work even if the batteries have been recently changed.
Blower Motor Problems
The blower motor is another part that can suffer from problems. More specifically, the belt that helps the motor turn can become damaged and fall apart. Those fan blades won't turn and the air will not circulate through your house. Consider inspecting the belt periodically and replace it when there are indications of damage. This will ensure continuous operation of the blower motor.
Heat Exchanger Problems
A gas powered furnace will use a heat exchanger to transfer the heat from the gas and make the air feel warm, all without releasing any dangerous gas into your home. Unfortunately, the heat exchanger is a part that can crack over time due to corrosion or rust on the part. The best thing to do is have a CO detector set up next to the furnace that will alert you if carbon monoxide is in the air. If the detector goes off, you'll want to leave your home immediately and contact professional help to fix the leak.
Heating Element Problems
Electric powered furnaces will have a heating element that can fail unexpectedly. It happens due to the furnace being old and the part failing, or something as simple as a wire becoming damaged. You'll need a professional inspection to find out why the heating element has stopped working, and potentially order a new heating element for your furnace to have installed.
Catch these problems early on before they cause the furnace to stop working completely. Reach out to a local heating repair contractor to have your furnace inspected each year, and they'll make necessary repairs before parts fail.
