Common Furnace Repairs

If it’s been months since you’ve last used the heater, there may be some furnace repairs needed. This is especially true if the heater has not been professionally maintained.

Luckily, these top furnace repairs are not too serious and will surely help the heater deliver the service you want.

Furnace Repairs for the Air Filter

The air filter is essential to high indoor air quality. If something ails the air filter, homeowners immediately feel it in the home.

Homeowners may need furnace repairs for the air filter if:

• There are odors or smells in the air
• Air feels dirtier or grittier
• Energy bills are unusually high

The furnace repair for the air filter is rather simple, and often only requires a replacement.

As a rule of thumb, the air filter should be replaced every few months. This helps keep the furnace efficient and clean so that the entire system lasts longer and works better.

Furnace Repairs for the Thermostat

Homeowners may need a furnace repair for the thermostat if:

• Air doesn’t feel like the temperature set on the thermostat
• The thermostat screen is blank
• The thermostat is unresponsive

The thermostat needs maintenance like any other device. Wires can corrode or unplug with use. Dirt may buildup inside and parts wear down over time. For these furnace repairs, the thermostat is cleaned and rewired.

Homeowners should also be aware, however, that in some instances, it is more cost effective to replace the thermostat than to maintain or repair. Because this decision depends on the condition of the thermostat, work with your technician to determine the best course of action.

Furnace Repairs for the Blower Motors and Fans

The blower motor and fans are essential to the heating process. Without either of these parts, air does not move. So while the heating system itself may work just fine, heated air is stuck inside the system, never warming up the home.

Homeowners may need furnace repairs for the blower motor or fans if:

• Air does not move through the air ducts
• There are strange noises coming from inside the heating system
• The heating does not feel warm despite a working thermostat

Furnace repairs for motors and fans should be schedule as soon as possible. When homeowners use the heater despite these necessary furnace repairs, the system overheats, causing other damages and problems.

If you suspect you need furnace repairs for motors and fans, turn off the heater system and wait for your specialist.

What Causes Furnace Costs to Rise?

What causes furnace costs to rise? It’s a question HVAC experts receive all the time from frustrated homeowners.

Fortunately, there are several solutions to the problem of rising furnace costs.

Lack of Maintenance

Why is furnace maintenance so important? The maintenance you schedule cares for more than just technical difficulties. It delivers the service necessary to make the entire system healthy, clean, safe to use and energy efficient. Homeowners who annually rely on furnace maintenance experience better air, better heating and air conditioning, lower furnace costs and a system that lasts long.

How exactly does maintenance lower furnace costs?

• It prevents expensive repairs and permanent damages
• It reduces buildup from clogging and coating sensitive parts
• It counters restricted airflow that could place additional stress on the furnace
• It helps all parts perform at a full capacity so the furnace never works more than necessary

Most importantly, your furnace receives the personal care needed from an HVAC specialist. All of the little things particular to your furnace are considered.

Procrastinating on Repairs

Unfortunately, a furnace repair is not the same as furnace maintenance. Scheduling a repair only solves the isolated issue, rather than deliver holistic system care. In addition, repair furnace costs can range widely, so it takes the help of a technician to get an accurate quote.

Procrastinating on repairs cause furnace costs to rise in more ways than one.

Apart from the repair furnace cost itself homeowners pay for:

• Higher energy spending
• Airflow resistance
• Additional heat cycles
• Inaccurate heating and air conditioning
• Spreading damages

The main problem with repairs is that homeowners do not always realize their furnace needs one. To remedy this, homeowners should become more familiar with their furnace and evaluate their furnace cost statements.

How do you know if your furnace needs repair? Some clues are:

• Unusual sounds like clicking, slapping or pounding
• Strange odors like burning, rancidity and grease
• Irregular or inconsistent heat cycles
• Abnormally high utility bills
• Terrible indoor air quality

If your home experiences any of these signs, relay the issue to your HVAC specialist. He or she has the solution for the repair and lower furnace costs.

Poor Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality affects furnace costs more than people think. This is because poor indoor air quality generally signals an internal technical problem inside the furnace.

Poor indoor air quality results from:

• An overused air filter
• Microbiological growth
• Leaks in the air duct
• Frozen evaporator coils
• Stubborn buildup over parts
• Broken fans and insulation
• Furnace tears and damages

In the end, poor indoor air quality happens because allergens, particles and bacteria collect in large quantities. This creates resistance in the furnace. When the furnace cannot operate freely, it spends more energy for the same amount of heating and air conditioning. It also wears parts more quickly. Homeowners then spend more on heating and repairs with compromised home comfort.

No Home Insulation

No matter how efficient the furnace is, furnace costs rise because of poor home insulation. The average home is protected against heat loss through the attic. However, there are so many other places inside the house that leaks heat. As a result, homeowners pay for heating and air conditioning that leaves the home just as fast as it got there.

Where is heat loss in the home?

• Roof, 25 percent
• Windows and doors, 25 percent
• Walls, 35 percent
• Floors, 15 percent

If heat loss is a serious issue in your home, chances are your rising furnace costs is directly related. To combat this issue, have your home insulated.

• Stuff empty walls
• Carpet floors
• Switch to energy-efficient windows
• Caulk and seal leaks around doors
• Consider air duct insulation

By minimizing heat loss, homeowners reduce furnace costs.

Other Reasons Why Furnace Costs Rise

If none of the above explanations apply to your rising furnace costs, the solution may be far more basic. It is possible that there was a fundamental mistake.

An old or inefficient furnace system

Older homes may still rely on outdated furnace systems. These furnace systems use incredible amounts of resources. As these furnaces age, their inefficiency only grows greater. Keep in mind that the average furnace lasts between 10 to 15 years, depending on how often it is used and its unique specifications. If it’s been over a decade since the furnace has last been replaced, enlist in the help of an HVAC technician for further guidance.

The wrong furnace system for your home

Before a furnace is installed in the home, technicians run a set of tests and measurements to determine what furnace and furnace size best serves the home. However, some technicians make mistakes and incorrectly select furnaces or incorrectly install them.

Both these mistakes result in huge energy spending. A larger furnace for a smaller home is equally expensive as a smaller furnace for a larger home. If you have suspicions that your previous technician has made a mistake during the installation, get a second opinion.

HVAC metrics will reveal whether or not the right choice was made and what corrections can help lower furnace costs.

Incorrect furnace usage habits

Some homeowners simply do not realize how much and how often they use their furnaces. This is an obvious reason why furnace costs would rise.

In addition to overusing the furnace, other mistakes include:

• Incorrect temperature settings on the thermostat
• Open windows and doors

· Blocking vents and registers

How To Keep the Furnace Blower Healthy for Top Heating

The furnace blower motor is essential to heating and air conditioning. This blower motor moves air into the home for heating, keeping the home comfortable and warm. Without it, homeowners do not get to feel any of the heating they prompt on the thermostat. In some cases, the furnace doesn’t work at all.

Replacing a furnace blower motor can get expensive. Depending on the model of your furnace and the extent of damage, repairs may be likely, but not always available. Getting help for your furnace blower motor can some money. For this reason, homeowners are encouraged to care for their furnace and prevent the high cost of repair.

What is the furnace blower motor and where does it fit into HVAC?

The central furnace system runs all through the home. When you turn on the thermostat for heating, it prompts the lighter inside the furnace to ignite, passing a live flame into the heat exchanger. Return vents engage, sucking cold indoor air through the registers. Cold air then travels through the air ducts, through the air filter and into the furnace. As it passes over the heat source, an energy exchange takes place. Once air is heated, the furnace blower motor pushes treated air back into the proper air ducts leading into different rooms of the home.

Essentially, the furnace blower motor is a motorized fan.

There are two types of furnace blower motors:

• Single speed
• Variable speed

Why is the furnace blower motor important?

The primary purpose of the furnace blower motor is to move heated air from the furnace back into the home. When the furnace blower motor is disabled, homeowners run into several problems.

• First, heating and air conditioning never gets into the home even if the furnace works fine. Consequently, homeowners wait for extended periods of time for home temperature to rise. In some cases, indoor temperature never changes despite all the energy use.
• Second, energy spending rises.

Because heated air never reaches inside the home, the thermostat continues to get an inaccurate temperature reading, prompting the furnace to heat over and over again.

• Third, home comfort plummets.

Without heated air reaching the home, there is little ventilation. Poor ventilation contributes to low indoor air quality. Homeowners, again, do not get the heating they want, so they settle for poor home comfort.

• Fourth, the system endures communication issues.

When the central air system works on a disabled furnace blower, heated air never moves out of the furnace. When this happens, it becomes easy for the furnace to overheat. With additional stress placed on parts from repeated cycling, equipment wears down faster, sustaining damages.

What damages the furnace blower motor?

At the most fundamental level, furnace blower motors damage from lack of maintenance.

Though some furnace blowers may be poorly installed, in most cases, lack of maintenance causes these troubles.

Buildup, whether from pathogens, particles or grease, sufficiently stop furnace blower motors from working smoothly. With added resistance, energy expenditure grows while key parts of the furnace degrade.

What type of help is available to keep the furnace blower motor healthy?

The type of help available for your furnace blower depends on the type of furnace blower and the extent of damage. Some furnace blowers are easily repaired. Other may need complete replacements.

Once the initial fix is made, the next best step homeowners should take is to schedule furnace maintenance on a regular basis. Regular furnace maintenance prevents 90 percent of expensive repairs and permanent damages. For the fraction of the cost of furnace blower repair, homeowners successfully treat and condition the entire furnace.

Answers to Common Furnace Heater Questions

The average furnace heater lasts well past a decade. During that time, homeowners learn a thing or two about furnace heaters—like how to operate them and what behaviors are considered normal. Still, some questions linger.

Here are answers to three common questions homeowners have about their furnace heaters.

Q: Why does my furnace heater cost so much to use?

Furnace heaters do cost energy to use, and utility bills vary from house to house.

Homeowners must consider:

• Usage habits
• Size of the home versus size of the furnace heater
• Age of the furnace heater
• Furnace heater efficiency
• Heat loss
• Home insulation
• Lack of furnace heater maintenance

In addition, homeowners should take into consideration necessary furnace heater repairs. Working the furnace heater when it needs a repair forces a high use of energy and other resources, resulting in big energy spending.

Some urgent furnace heater repairs include:

• Attic leaks
• Air duct leaks and holes
• Broken thermostat or missed connections
• Sticky fire exchangers
• Broken motors and fans

These furnace heater repairs, either alone or combined, leak significant amounts of heat and disable efficiency.

Q: Why does my furnace heater need repairs?

Furnace heater repairs are a normal and expected part of owning and operating a furnace heater system. Just like any other apparatus, parts wear down or experience damages that require professional attention.

It is important for homeowners to recognize needed furnace heater repairs. These signs generally come in the form of unexpected sounds, odors or behaviors.

Homeowners should look out for smells that could be described as:

• Burning
• Oily
• Rancid

Homeowners should note unusual sounds such as:

• Grating, scratching
• Slapping, beating
• Clicking, clacking
• Rattling

These noises indicate that parts have moved or fallen apart, compromising proper furnace heater operation. In severe cases, homeowners are advised to turn off the furnace heater completely. Wait for the assistance of your preferred HVAC contractor before using the furnace heater again.

Furnace heaters that need repairs also exhibit abnormal behaviors. These behaviors may include:

• Inefficient heating and air conditioning
• Unreliable service
• Short cycling or over-cycling

If you notice any of these behaviors with your furnace heater, contact your preferred HVAC specialist. He or she can attend to necessary repairs and minimize damages.

Q: Is it necessary to change the furnace heater air filter?

The air filter is the first line of defense for the furnace heater. It keeps allergens and particles out of the airflow and the furnace heater. This keeps indoor air clean while preventing buildup inside the system. Buildup that collects over prolonged periods of time grows stubborn and eventually works to obstruct the heating process. Consequently, this leads to damages and repairs.

For homeowners serious about preventing damages, and protecting indoor air quality and energy efficiency, replacing the air filter is well worth the effort. Other homeowners leave this work to furnace heater specialists. During furnace heater maintenance, technicians routinely replace or clean the air filter.

In either case, furnace heater specialists recommend changing the filter every few months, depending on the condition of your air filter and lifestyle goals.

Get Answers From Service Champions Furnace Heater Experts

Service Champions Heating & Air Conditioning is the Diamond Certified HVAC provider in Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

Homeowners trust us for our superior customer service and expert technical care. Our technicians are highly trained and utilize only the most advanced methods of care for your furnace heater, promising lasting results.

To get answers for your furnace heater, choose the experts at Service Champions. Complete the form below or speak to our friendly call center representatives for further assistance.