The furnace is essential in keeping your home comfortable during the cold season. You can imagine how unbearable it can be If your furnace stops working on a cold winter day. While emergency furnace failures are inevitable, you can avoid needing repairs by paying attention to the warning indications that call for your furnace service.

This blog outlines the four warnings that indicate it’s time to call in the HVAC pros for your furnace service before the cold season sets in.

When Should Homeowners Call For Furnace Service?

Your furnace needs servicing if you observe the warning signs below.

Short-Cycling

Is your furnace starting up, running for a couple of minutes, shutting off, and then starting up again? They term this “short cycling.” Short cycling is a symptom of a malfunctioning furnace, even if it keeps the house comfortable. If you experience short cycling, it may be due to a dirty air filter; replacing the filter may solve the problem.

If this behavior persists, it is probably because the heat exchanger is malfunctioning, causing the furnace to overheat and trip a safety switch. Short cycling may also be brought on by wiring issues with the thermostat. If you observe this sign, schedule service immediately.

Weird Smells

After turning off your furnace for the summer, it is normal to give out a faint burnt scent. Probably simply some dust that got into the burner and is now burning off. Anything other than the smell of burning dust should be considered suspicious. There may be a problem with the heat exchanger in the furnace if you notice a chemical odor, like formaldehyde. Carbon monoxide poisoning may result from a heater with a broken heat exchanger. Before you turn on the heater again, get it serviced and install a functional carbon monoxide detector.

Smelling like burnt metal might indicate that the bearings in your blower motor are about to fail. This is also a significant safety issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

There are loud banging, scraping, and rattling sounds.

In a well-functioning furnace, you shouldn’t hear much of a noise. If your burners make a booming sound before they light, it might be because the gas is gradually building before the flame ignites. If your blower makes rattling or scraping sounds, it may have a damaged heat exchanger or a worn blower wheel.

You should still switch off the furnace until you can fix it, even if it looks to be operating correctly despite the noise. While most furnace noises are easily fixed, using a furnace that makes an unpleasant noise might lead to more expensive repairs in the long run. Quickly get a specialist out here to take care of this.

Poor Heating Distribution

Is heat being distributed unevenly around your home? Check to see that the vents in the cold rooms are not obstructed, and swap out the filter if necessary. An unmaintained furnace could be the cause of continuing reports of uneven heating.

Maintaining a well-running furnace necessitates regular servicing, including inspections, adjustments, and lubrication. If this check-up had not been done in a while, the unit could not produce enough heat to warm the whole house. Some of the heat could escape through cracks in the ductwork and not make it into the rooms.

Do You Need A Furnace Services Today?

Our team is ready to serve you! Frost Heating & Cooling, one of the local furnace repair companies, offers fast, effective, 24-7 HVAC services to ensure you can always be comfortable. Contact us today at 206-778-2848 to discuss your concerns and get you a no-obligation estimate!