The Most Common Furance Problems & Repairs
Cold winter months mean running your home furnace constantly. No one wants to spend all their time in the cold, but that’s exactly what can happen if there is something wrong with your furnace.
At Hahn Plumbing, we diagnose broken furnaces all the time. Don’t hesitate to call for help if you are having any of the most common furnace issues. Help and warm, comfortable heat are just one call away.
What is My Furnace Making Weird Noises?
Your furnace is designed to run so quietly that you can forget that it is there most of the time. If you can hear your furnace, especially if it is making scary or weird sounds, this means that you have a problem.
The type of sound that you hear can tell you what is wrong with your furnace and how it needs to be fixed. For example, a furnace that makes grinding sounds means that you either have something hard stuck in the blower system or the bearings are damaged. If the furnace makes a high-pitched squealing sound, the drive belt is probably damaged and rubbing on something.
In either case, your first step is to shut the system off immediately. Either problem can lead to extensive damage throughout your house. After that, call an HVAC professional to help.
Furnace Won’t Start
As soon as the temperature starts to drop, you want to crank up your furnace. That’s when you find that it won’t start. Panic sets in, the kids are cold, and everyone is miserable. Don’t worry, it is likely a very easy repair. You may just need a new start capacitor.
In a nutshell, a capacitor is like a temporary battery, and all of your large appliances have one if they turn on and off a lot. Appliances with large mechanical parts, like the blower on a furnace, require a lot more power to start working than they do to run. The capacity lets it charge up enough power to get started, then lets the machine run at a normal power level.
Capacitors are disposable in that they will eventually break and be replaced without needing to do significant repairs on the rest of your HVAC system. If your furnace won’t start, it is possible that the capacitor is worn out and needs to be replaced. This is a common and easy repair for HVAC technicians.
Serious Furnace Repair Issues
While some problems with your furnace are benign and easy to deal with, some are significantly more serious. If you are trying to run your furnace and you experience any of these problems, you need to shut it off and contact a HVAC technician immediately. A trusted and experienced plumbing company is well versed in all types of heating systems and can offer effective solutions and repairs.
Not Producing Heat
If your furnace isn’t producing heat or can’t maintain that heat, a cracked heat exchanger may be the problem. The heat exchanger is the part of the system that generates hot air to blow into your house, and it is made of metal tubes.
If it is cracked, it may not be able to heat up enough to keep your house warm. A cracked heat exchanger is a serious problem that needs to be fixed by an HVAC technician before it can be used again.
Bad Smells and Unexplained Illnesses
Heating issues along with a bad smell also mean that your heat exchanger is likely broken. This can cause noxious fumes to blow into your house, including carbon monoxide. You’ll know when people in your house start to have unexplained illnesses like headaches and upset stomachs without a noticeable cause.
If you suspect that this is the problem, vent your house and get the problem fixed immediately. The sooner the repair is done, the less of an impact it will have on your health.
Furnace Repair & Replacement Service
A broken furnace is a big deal, especially given the risks to your family’s health and the potential problems of living in a cold place with no heat options. Fortunately, living with a broken furnace is not something that you have to put up with. Get help with your broken furnace by calling Hahn Plumbing at (970) 484-7668. We’ll have your furnace working again and your family warm and safe in no time.