Between the mountain cold and the seemingly endless arctic blasts, your furnace can get a genuine workout over the winter months. Hopefully, your furnace is up to the task, but, unfortunately, not everyone’s is.
Heating issues can leave you shivering. Here are 10 of the most common heating problems we see during the winter months, and when they might require furnace repair.
Heat Doesn’t Come on
One of the biggest heating issues is when your heat simply won’t come on. There are many potential causes of your heat not coming on. The simplest is that you accidentally shut off power to your furnace. Just flip the switch, and your furnace comes on. Other possible causes include tripped breakers, burned out fuses, and thermostat problems.
This is obviously an emergency situation in the coldest weather and if you can’t immediately figure out the problem, it’s important to get professional help from an HVAC specialist.
No or Low Flow from Vents
Another potential problem is that your furnace is coming on, but there’s no air or not much air flowing out through the vents. This is another problem that can be traced back to numerous potential sources. The simplest is that you have a clogged air filter. If you haven’t changed your air filter recently, do it now. Next, consider whether you closed the air vents during the off season. Other possible causes include clogged or leaky air ducts.
If you can’t figure out a simple reason why you’re having this problem, contact an HVAC specialist to help you find and fix the problem.
Cold Air from Vents
What if there’s plenty of air coming from your vents, but it’s cold? This could be related to leaky vents, or to a furnace that is taking in too much air from the outside. It might also be that the fan is set to on rather than auto so it’s blowing when the furnace isn’t on. However, it might also be related to a furnace that’s underpowered for the space you want to heat. Finally, the problem might be that the furnace is coming on, but the gas jets aren’t lighting.
Contact an HVAC specialist. They can detect if the current unit is broken, if it is badly configured, or if it’s simply underpowered for your home in the current weather.
Changing Thermostat Doesn’t Trigger Heater
What if you are feeling cold, so you turn up the heat, but the furnace doesn’t come on? There are many potential causes that could be to blame. First, your thermostat might be a smart device that doesn’t respond in the way you think it should to manual controls. For example, you might be turning up the heat programming on a different day, rather than right now. Check the manual for your thermostat to make sure you understand how to operate it. Other problems might be anything that could stop the furnace from coming on generally. Check the power to your furnace, including the breakers and fuses.
If simple fixes don’t cause your heater to come on, contact an HVAC professional.
Furnace Shuts Off Right After Coming on
A furnace that shuts off immediately after coming on tends to be a more serious problem than a furnace that simply won’t come on. When a furnace shuts off immediately after coming on, it’s because the furnace is detecting a problem.
The problem detection might be a fault, but in these situations, it’s best to get an HVAC specialist out to look at the problem.
Furnace Won’t Shut Off
On the other hand, what if your furnace comes on but won’t shut off? Sometimes, this is due to a mistaken setting in the furnace: the blower might be set to on, rather than auto. Because the blower is on, you might think that the entire furnace is on. It might also be a problem with the thermostat’s sensor. Both of these problems can be checked at the thermostat. Make sure the blower is on auto. Then turn the heat off. This should cause the furnace to shut off if the problem is related to the thermostat.
If you can’t figure out the problem, let an HVAC professional handle it.
High Heating Bills
If your heating bills are higher than they used to be, it could be due to many factors. First, check to make sure your heating bills really are higher now than they were last month or last winter. Second, check to see if the problem is due to a rate hike for your natural gas or other fuel.
If your bills are much higher than they should be based on the rate, then the problem is likely your furnace. Schedule regular furnace maintenance and ask your technician if it’s time to consider replacing the furnace.
Odors from Heating Vent
A damaged or clogged filter can sometimes lead to smells from your furnace. Check the filter to make sure it’s in good shape and isn’t getting burned by the furnace. If the odor is only coming from one vent, check to see if there’s something inside the vent that might be causing the smell.
Otherwise, the presence of unusual odors coming from your heating vents is cause for contacting an HVAC technician.
Noisy Operation
Check your furnace filter to see if it is clogged and has a filter whistle installed. If so, replace the filter, preferably with the whistle in to remind you to change your filter next time.
There are many potential parts of your furnace that might be loose, causing the machine to make irritating noises when it operates. Check for any loose screws or bolts on the furnace and vents. Tighten them down, if there are.
If these solutions don’t fix the problem, contact an HVAC technician.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms Go off
Carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuels like natural gas, oil, or gasoline. Your furnace likely produces some of this, but it should all be safely vented outside.
If your carbon monoxide alarms go off, you should shut off all appliances that are burning fuels and vent your house until the alarms stop going off. Then contact an HVAC technician. If you start to feel at all lightheaded, get out of the house and contact an HVAC technician from a warm, safe place.
Experienced Furnace Repair on the Front Range
If you are having trouble with your furnace in the winter, you need someone who can give you the HVAC repairs you need or supply you with a new furnace quickly. Major Heating and Air Conditioning has been helping people in Colorado stay comfortable during every season since 1970. Our experienced technicians know how to approach any type of heating system: new, old, forced air, boilers, geothermal, and more. You name it and they know how to deal with it. Since 1983, we have maintained an A+ relationship with the Better Business Bureau because we take the greatest pride in providing quality HVAC service and products at exceptional value.
When your furnace isn’t working as it should, we offer 24-hour emergency service, so we can be at your home or business as soon as possible. For help with furnace repair or replacement, please contact us today. We serve customers in Denver and throughout the Front Range.
