Common Furnace Issues That Aren’t Your Furnace’s Fault
We can write all day about the kinds of issues your furnace might encounter, but unless we’re actually there to inspect it, we just can’t know for sure. Sometimes, an issue may look obvious on the surface, but as we dig deeper, we find that it’s something else entirely. Sometimes, the problem might have very little to do with the furnace at all.That’s why we suggest that you never jump to any conclusions about what your furnace’s problems might be until you’ve gotten a professional inspection. We’ll go over a few examples to show you exactly what we mean.
Furnace Won’t Stay On
Does your furnace keep turning on and off when you try to run it? Logically, we’d be inclined to think there was something wrong with one of the electrical components.The unexpected answer is that there might not be anything wrong with the furnace at all. Rather, the furnace might be too big for the home! In that case, the reason your furnace won’t stay on is due to something called short-cycling.Short-cycling is when the furnace rapidly turns on and off. It might appear that the furnace is having trouble staying on, but in reality, the issue is that the home is heating up too quickly. This gives the thermostat a false reading, signaling the furnace to stop (only for it to start up again shortly after).There are other, simpler reasons for short-cycling, however, so we don’t suggest getting a replacement without consulting a professional first.
Furnace Won’t Start
First, the furnace won’t stay on, and now it won’t start. Clearly, there’s something wrong with the gas burners or the pilot light. What else could it be?Again, your furnace might be working perfectly fine. The reality could be something painfully simple:
A malfunctioning or improperly programmed thermostat. Make sure to triple-check that your thermostat is on the right settings and that it’s connected properly.
If your furnace is a high-efficiency model, it will most likely have a condensate pan. If the pan is clogged, it will trigger a safety that turns off the furnace until the pan is drained.
Is the furnace’s front panel securely locked in place? The furnace won’t start if it’s not.
Lack of Airflow
You have the furnace working now, but when you put your hand up to the air registers, you barely feel anything. This is a huge drain on efficiency since it means that your home will not warm up as quickly as it should.This could possibly be an issue with the blower motor, the fan that blows the heated air into the home. Yet, you can hear the fan working just fine.Once again, the furnace might not be to blame. It could be that the ducts have serious leaks. This is especially true in homes that haven’t had their ducts inspected in several years. No matter how hard your furnace works, those leaks will suck up significant portions of the air. You’ll need to have a trained HVAC contractor in Overland Park, KS test and seal the ducts for you.
Contact MVP Electric, Heating & Cooling today to schedule a service. Relax… It’s MVP!