Heating season is here, more or less, and that means that you’re probably going to be using your furnace on a regular basis for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, you’ve already scheduled preventive maintenance to make sure that your furnace is as healthy as possible during the heating season. Even if you have, though, there is still a possibility that your furnace will run into some kind of issue during the next several months. In order to ensure that your system stays in good shape for as long as possible, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the symptoms that indicate a problem with your furnace.
Booming
If your furnace is making a loud booming sound on startup, it is likely that the system is dealing with a clogged burner assembly. Carbon particles build up on the burner assembly over time as it combusts natural gas, eventually becoming severe enough to prevent the jets in the system from firing on time. When the jets do finally ignite, they burn through a lot of gas at once and cause that booming sound that you’re hearing. Have a professional clean out your burner assembly to fix the problem. Make sure that you do it soon, though, as a clog of sufficient severity can prevent the system from generating heat at all.
Short Cycling
Short cycling is when the furnace turns itself off before it can complete a full heating cycle, typically every couple of minutes. This kind of issue is usually the result of either an electrical problem or an airflow problem. Short cycling causes a number of negative effects, starting by reducing the furnace’s ability to properly heat the home. Prolonged short cycling also increases the wear and tear the system accumulates in a short period of time. The longer your furnace short cycles, the more likely it will become to break down. If the issue is not dealt with quickly enough, it will likely result in having to replace the furnace much earlier than you would otherwise have had to. Make sure that you call for repairs as soon as you notice your system doing this.
Not Enough Warm Air
If your furnace isn’t blowing as much air as it should be, then it is likely that you have some sort of issue with either your air handler or your air filter. If the filter is not changed often enough, it can become clogged and prevent the majority of the airflow from reaching the furnace. If the air handler breaks down, the furnace won’t be able to circulate air at all. You’ll need to have a technician examine the system to know for certain, but it is definitely something you should have checked out sooner rather than later.
