Your furnace should last between 15 to 20 years if you take care of it right. However, you have to pay attention to the warning signs that your furnace gives you when it needs a little bit of care and maintenance. Here are a few common warning signs your furnace will give you when it needs a little assistance.
#1 Your Furnace Smells Strange
One of the most common warning signs that your furnace may give off is a strange smell when you turn on your heating system. When you turn on your furnace, you should feel warm air, but you really shouldn't smell anything.
If the air coming out of your vents when you turn on your furnace smells burnt or dirty, your furnace is trying to tell you that something is wrong with it.
If your furnace is creating a smell like something is burning, the fan in your furnace may not be turning at the right speed or may be blocked by something. This would result in a burning smell.
If your furnace smells dirty, like a bunch of dust, there may be something wrong with the filter. Most likely, it just needs to be replaced.
# 2 Your Furnace Sounds Strange
Over time, you should become pretty familiar with how your furnace is supposed to sound. It should not be too loud, especially if it is located in your basement or inside of a cabinet or closet. It should sound like a low hum, like when a motor is running.
You should not hear clanking or clicking sounds coming from your furnace. You should not hear slamming sounds or weird, high-pitched whining sounds.
There are multiple culprits behind a strange sound coming from your furnace, but the most likely reason is either your fan needs to be tuned up or a screw has come loose somewhere inside of the motor.
#3 Your Furnace Is Not Heating Up Your House
One of the biggest signs that your furnace will give you that it needs some work done is if it fails to heat your home at all, or takes twice as long as usual to heat up your home. Your furnace should be able to heat up your home at the same rate throughout the year.
If your furnace is not heating up, a full diagnosis from a licensed contractor needs to be run on your furnace to figure out what the culprit is.
If your furnace is giving off any of the three warning signs listed above, you need to call in a licensed contractor or furnace repair technician like one from G K Mechanical (1997) Ltd to come inspect your furnace and fix the underlying issue. If you pay attention to the warning signs your furnace gives you and address them in a timely manner, you should be able to get the maximum life span out of your furnace.
Share17 October 2015
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