5 Warning Signs of an Impending Furnace Failure in Marion, TX
Few things are more distressing and annoying than having your furnace collapse on you in the dead of winter. If you’re lucky enough to detect an imminent failure in the fall, before the winter chill, you can save yourself quite a bit of hassle. Here, for the benefit of all homeowners in Marion, TX, are some signs that your furnace may be on its last legs.
1. Age
If your furnace is more than 20 years old, you can confidently conclude, without even looking at anything else, that final system collapse is likely imminent. Even if you’ve been responsible and have always arranged to have timely repairs and regular maintenance on the system, there’s no reason to tempt fate. No heating system can last forever.
At this stage of its service life, you’ll probably need to repair your furnace so often that just replacing the thing with a newer, more advanced, and more efficient model would save you money. If you’re in this situation, we strongly recommend that you purchase a new furnace.
2. Increasing Energy Bills
As your furnace ages and degrades beyond repair, you may receive a rude awakening in the form of massive energy bills. If you’re sure that you haven’t been using your furnace more intensively of late, then the reason for this is that your system’s efficiency is cratering. When system efficiency declines — whether because of poor airflow, malfunctioning parts, or any other reason — your furnace will respond by using more energy to maintain the desired temperature.
Repairing your system may improve efficiency and lower your utility bill. However, if the problem reappears shortly afterward, your furnace could be on the verge of total failure.
3. The Presence of Animals
Squirrels, mice, and other small critters can significantly damage your furnace. They can chew through wires, block vents, and do a variety of other things that interfere with operations. If you notice signs of animal nests or droppings in your ductwork or around your system pipes, call a professional over as soon as possible and ask for a full examination of your furnace.
The worst sign of all is that some animal has lodged itself somewhere in your furnace and died. If this happens, you’ll be able to smell the evidence. While such animal activity won’t necessarily destroy your furnace, it can cause significant damage if you don’t act fast enough to stop it.
4. Cold Air
A furnace’s job is to produce and distribute warm air throughout a home. If the house feels cold and there are no problems with the thermostat, there may be issues with the motor, blower, pilot light, or heat exchanger. If the repair is expensive and the appliance is near the end of its expected life span, it might be time to replace it.
5. Inexplicable Starting and Stopping
To a certain extent, it’s normal for your furnace to go back and forth between being on and off. We call this process cycling, which should happen in response to changes in your indoor temperature.
When the temperature is lower than what you’ve set on your thermostat, it should turn on your furnace and set it to run in cycles of 15-20 minutes until temperatures reach the desired level. Then, the furnace should turn off. It should only turn back on once temperatures fall below the desired level again.
If your system turns on and off regardless of the temperature, this typically indicates a serious problem. Something is preventing the furnace from completing a full heating cycle. This could be anything from dirty filters or clogged pipes to gas leaks or a malfunctioning blower.
Stay vigilant and be alert for warning signs. You may be able to repair your furnace before there’s a complete failure and you’re left sitting in a cold house. If you live around Marion, TX, call Legacy Home Services and ask for our heating services to get top-notch help for all your heating problems.
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