In the late and early months of the year, having a warm and cozy home is essential. And having peace of mind requires a warm and inviting home. Depending on where you live, a furnace might be essential. Most people don’t know the inner workings of their HVAC system, only that it makes your home warm. So what do you do if you come home one day to a broken furnace?
What to Do If You Have a Broken Furnace
Can you fix it? Should you call someone? Do you repair or replace it? What if it just needs a quick and easy repair? To answer all these questions, here is a guide to help you when you have a broken furnace at home.
1. Starting Point
First, if you have a gas furnace, make sure it isn’t leaking gas. Although natural gas has no smell, manufacturers add a sulfuric chemical to give it a rotten egg odor to identify leaks. If you smell this when your furnace fails, leave immediately and call the gas company. You can deal with this concern about Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance or replacement later.
Next, your furnace may have malfunctioned due to a thermostat error or a broken circuit breaker. Attempt to restart the furnace by resetting the circuit breakers. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to call in a professional technician to diagnose the problem. In repairing the furnace by yourself, you may cause more damage than good, both to the furnace and to you. So, don’t try to do it yourself without proper knowledge or skill.
There is nothing wrong with having professionals come and give you expert advice on your current position. If you live in the area, heating repair Strasburg services can help you assess your situation and provide solutions.
Your home’s pipes must also be kept warm to avoid freezing and rupture. Place a space heater near the uncovered water line to keep it moderately warm. But don’t use acetylene torches or dryers. For pipes without space heaters, wrap them with newspaper for insulation.
If you notice that the furnace is not functioning lately, it may be necessary to replace the whole system. Do it ahead of time because it will keep your residence pleasant and comfortable during the hot summer months.
You can ask for suggestions from the experts on how to select the best system for your property.
Important Note
Always consider the age of your furnace while making repairs. The older the furnace, the less chance you can still repair it. Buying a new furnace is a long-term investment that’s more efficient and has lower gas expenses. Your investment will be worth it in the years to come.
Be sure to include the entire process in your furnace replacement expenses, including the new furnace itself, installation, removal of the old furnace, disposal, building fees and permits, and any adjustments to your present HVAC system.
2. Why should you replace your AC and furnace together?
The blower circulates conditioned air around your home, this is required to maintain the evaporator coil and heat exchanger’s rated efficiency. It is also responsible for the circulation of the air inside your home.
In a split system, both air conditioners must be replaced at the same time, but not necessarily both AC and furnace.
But because the air conditioner will still need to use the blower motor, replacing the heating system at the same time is the only way to ensure maximum efficiency.
Remember that a new furnace is usually costly. But adding a furnace when replacing your air conditioner saves you money.
Further, the only time to replace your furnace is if it’s under 10 years old. By following this, the furnace should endure until your air conditioner requires replacing.
If you can relate to any of these issues, you then have to replace your furnace:
- Repairs to the furnace are frequently done
- The furnace is noisy or rattling
- Rust, soot, and dust are being emitted from the furnace’s registers
- Your home’s humidity is rising
- Your residence is unevenly heated
- It turns on and off frequently
Old furnaces can’t consistently humidify and clean the air. Allergies or any respiratory illnesses can be caused by using old furnaces that aren’t in good condition to function the way it should be. Poor ventilation and other factors can also contribute to poor indoor air quality.
Some of these signals may just indicate the need for routine maintenance. When irregularities and malfunctions start to add up, it may be necessary to replace the furnace.
Conclusion
Now you know how your furnace works and what warning flags to look for. If your furnace needs repair, ask for the help of professionals in deciding if it’s still repairable or if it’s time to replace it with a new one. It may be a big investment now, but if it’s for the safety and comfort of your family, it will surely be worth it.
