Warning Signs Your Furnace Is on Its Way Out | Tips from Your Fort Worth, TX Heating and AC Service Provider
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The temperatures are starting to cool off in Fort Worth, TX. While the days are not too bad yet, the nights start ducking into the lower forties as soon as it hits November. There may even be some frost before the winter is over, which means you may want to check on your heating and AC system.
While you probably enjoyed the cool air throughout the Texas summer, you won’t be quite so happy with it on a cold night in Fort Worth, TX. Now is the best time to start paying attention to your heating and AC system, because it is always better to get ahead of any problems.
If you haven’t yet, you should at least turn on your heating and AC system to make sure that it is able to blow warm air. Once you check that off your list, you need to take a closer look and listen to your heating and AC system to make sure it doesn’t need repairs or replaced before the dead of winter.
Planning to replace or repair a furnace in Fort Worth, TX is always a better situation to find yourself in versus calling an emergency heating and AC tech out to your home to find out you need one now. Sometimes pieces and parts can take days to arrive, and you never want to find yourself in that situation trying to wait out the cold.
The following are just a few signs that you furnace may be on its way out. If you can identify with any of them, it’s time to get your heating and AC guy to come out and take a look.
Strange Knocking Noises from the Vents or Furnace
One of the most obvious signs of a problem with your heating and AC is a knocking noise that comes from the vents or from your furnace. Unfortunately, it is also one of the signs that people are most likely to ignore.
Since the sounds are usually not associated with an obvious problem (like no heat or less heat) people tend to just ignore them. They figure since the sounds aren’t in the way they aren’t something that needs to be dealt with ‘now.’
However, the longer you ignore them the more damage is likely occurring. At some point the damage will accumulate and the heat will stop working. If you hear a strange knocking noise coming from your heating system, call an HVAC company in Fort Worth, TX pronto.
Your Home Never Seems Warm Enough
At first glance this may seem like a thermostat problem, and in some situations it might be, but if you keep turning up the thermostat and still can’t get warm enough there is a good chance it’s your heating system. It is likely that your heating system is struggling to keep up with your settings which in turn will wear it down. You don’t want to continue this cycle by hiking up the thermostat and waiting for your system to respond. If you aren’t getting the results you expect, call your heating and AC company to come take a look.
Utility Bills Rise Unexpectedly
Everyone expects their heating bill to go up as fall and winter sets in. This is the time of year when you use your gas the most, so it is only reasonable to expect to pay more. However, if your bills are rising higher than they usually are during the winter, there is a good chance your furnace needs tuned up or possibly replaced. As furnaces age they tend to lose efficiency, and a furnace that has not been maintained will start performing poorly.
If you have moved into a new home and don’t have anything to compare with but you feel your furnace is not running adequately; consider asking your neighbors what they are paying. Your bills should be comparable if your homes are roughly the same size. The good news is you may not always need to replace your furnace, you may just need to call One Hour heating and AC company for a tune-up.
Your Furnace is Cycling Unpredictably
Most people don’t pay attention to the way their furnace cycles, but if you stop to think about you probably know. Furnaces should run in even intervals throughout the day. During the winter months you will notice your furnace running frequently compared to during the fall or spring.
However, if you start to notice your furnace cycling in brief, sporadic stings then it is time to call for help from a One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating in Fort Worth, TX. These brief cycles are not enough to warm your home and are a sign of impending trouble.
This is actually called ‘short-cycling’ and it wastes a great deal of energy. The most energy is expended when a furnace starts and stops rapidly. If this is happening, not only is your home not warming, but you will be paying much more in energy costs than you should be.
Your Burner Flame is Yellow
The burner flame on your furnace should always be blue, if you notice that is burning yellow immediately turn off your furnace, open a few windows, and call an emergency HVAC company. A yellow flame or one that is flickering can be sign that the furnace is producing carbon monoxide. This can be very dangerous and requires immediate attention. If you don’t already have a carbon monoxide detector in your basement you should get one.
Other signs that your furnace is producing carbon monoxide and needs immediate attention includes excess moisture on the walls or windows, rusting on flue pipes, streaks of soot near the furnace, water leaking from the chimney, or rust on the outside venting pipe