The temperatures are dropping and home furnaces are firing up to keep people cozy through the coming holiday gatherings. If you’re planning a big get-together for this Thanksgiving, you want to make sure your furnace is able to do the job and keep everyone happy.
If you’ve noticed that your furnace isn’t delivering the level of heat you expect from it, you may have a problem that calls for furnace repair in Conway, AR. Don’t try to ignore the problem by pushing up the thermostat to warmer and warmer settings: this isn’t a solution and may make the problem worse.
First, some simple troubleshooting
Before you call our team to inspect your furnace and find out what’s wrong with it, there are a few basic troubleshooting steps to take that may solve the problem. Check the furnace filter to see if it’s clogged, as a dirty filter will block airflow and lower heating performance. Put in a new filter to see if this solves the problem. Check the thermostat programming, as an error there may be the culprit. Check that all room vents are open and unblocked.
Now, to look at malfunctions that may cause your furnace to underperform…
Faulty thermostat
The thermostat not only controls when the furnace and blower fan turn on and off, it also senses indoor temperatures. If the thermostat becomes miscalibrated, it may detect the interior of your house as hotter than it is, which will cause it to turn the furnace off when the house is still too cold. It’s usually a simple job for our technicians to recalibrate the thermostat.
Short-cycling
This is when the furnace isn’t completing its full heating cycle but instead shutting off early, before it can distribute heat to all of the rooms. If you notice that the central parts of your house have enough warmth but other rooms are cold, this is often the cause. Short-cycling can occur for several reasons, and you’ll need professionals to diagnose the source and get the furnace back to running for its normal length.
Ductwork damage
The trouble may not be in the furnace itself, or even the thermostat, but in the ductwork that carries heated air throughout the house. When ductwork starts to leak, it will create a series of problems for both comfort and energy efficiency. Air pressure in the ventilation system will drop, lowering airflow to rooms. Heated air will escape before reaching many of the rooms, creating drafts and also causing the air to become too dry. You can rely on our technicians to locate duct leaks and seal them up so the whole HVAC system can work as it’s supposed to.
Over-the-hill furnace
You may just have a furnace that’s come to the end of its effective service life. One of the major warnings that a furnace is too old is when its heating capacity drops and creates uneven heating throughout the house. The upper age for gas furnaces is usually 15 years and for electric furnaces 20 years. If your furnace is older than this, it’s a good time to look into scheduling a replacement.
Dewees HVAC proudly serves the Conway area. Contact us for furnace repairs and replacements.