With the temperature dropping, we are now getting into the frigid days of winter. With the declining temperatures, your furnace is starting to run longer to effectively heat your home.
While the furnace is running for a longer time, there are certain signs that you can either smell, see or hear that will tell you should call us to at least look at and repair to make sure that your furnace is not only running properly and most importantly safe to operate.
- The Most Important sign is SMELL. When the secondary heat exchangers become clogged, you will have a ROTTEN EGGS type smell in your house. It is very noticeable and it is a sign to turn your furnace off and call a reputable HVAC Company like us. It is not safe to operate your furnace with these conditions. New Heat Exchangers should be installed or you should replace your furnace.
- With SIGHT if you see any visible signs of water underneath furnace it is a sign that either condensate is leaking from secondary heat exchangers or condensate trap is clogged. Most homeowners are not aware that with a 90% Efficient Furnace that there is condensate that is produced because Flue Gasses are condensed to water as they go thru heat exchangers. Just like air conditioning you have a condensate to either floor drain or laundry tub.
- You can HEAR when your furnace is making an unusual noise like Bangs & Squeals. On your high efficient furnace there are actually two (2) Motors. One Motor is Inducer Motor which comes on when there is a call for Heat. This motor pulls the flue gasses from furnace thru PVC Pipe to exterior. If you hear an unusual noise when this comes on it is usually the Inducer Motor. The Second Motor is the Blower Motor which circulates Air thru the Duct System. With the Inducer Motor running for app one minute when the Blower Motor comes on if this is making noise you shut down and call a reputable HVAC Company. These Bangs & Squeals could cause other damage to your furnace.
- You can FEEL when the furnace is not functioning properly. If it is 60 Degrees in your home and the Thermostat is set to 70 there is something wrong chances are the furnace wont even go into the Ignition cycle. If it is 67 Degrees in your house and the Thermostat is set to 70, your furnace is probably running but you have a Dirty Filter and the Furnace is Cycling on Limit Control. With the newer High Efficient Furnaces the Limit Control is Factory Set to a Lower Temperature and a Dirty Filter is a lot more Critical.
