There are three levels of worry when it comes to your furnace. The first level is not being worried at all. Your furnace is working great and you rarely even think about the appliance at all. The second level is questionable. You suspect that something might be wrong, but you could also be imagining things. The third level is when problems are obvious. You have loud sounds and unusual smells and your heater function may be compromised.
Ideally, you want to identify problems when they are still small. Once furnace problems become obvious, the problems are more significant which means they’re also more costly and complex. If you’ve been searching for “furnace repair near me” and landed here, you’re in the right place. We have a team of experts who live to fix heater problems in the winter.
First, you have to be able to identify those problems.
Furnace Age
One of the best indicators of whether or not it’s time to replace your furnace is the system’s age. Furnaces last between 15 and 20 years on average. The closer you get to 20 years, the more likely it is that you’ll have to replace your furnace as parts wear down. If you bought your home with an existing furnace you have a few options for determining the age.
Check the paperwork that you were provided about the home before you bought it. The ages of all appliances should have been included. But if you can’t find this you can also check the owner’s manual that belongs to your furnace. As a last resort, you can also search only for the brand of your furnace and the model number to estimate the age.
Surprising Energy Bills
Whether you have gas or electricity, your energy costs can fluctuate from month to month. But you should never open your energy bill and fall over from shock because your bill is so much more expensive than usual. If this happens, your furnace could be to blame.
There are a lot of factors that could lead your furnace to work harder than it needs to heat your home. When your furnace works harder, it uses more energy than it would normally. If your furnace isn’t old, it may be an easy fix. If your furnace is over 15 years old, it may be time to invest in a new one. The cost of higher energy bills could pay for your new furnace if you add up the cost over time.
Pilot Light
The pilot light on your furnace should always be blue. Any other color indicates that something is wrong. If the flame is yellow or appears to be flickering, then the gas may not be burning efficiently when your heater is on. This can lead to carbon monoxide in your air, which is dangerous for your health. Leaking gas is also a fire hazard, so it’s a problem you want to address immediately.
Contact Kennihan Plumbing & Heating, Inc. today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. We treat your home like it’s our grandma’s home.