Furnace Repairs | Troubleshooting a Tricky Furnace

If your furnace is working poorly or not working at all, this quick guide will help you troubleshoot and make it easier to discuss your problem and the kind of furnace service you may need.

Furnace Problem:

Your home is not being heated evenly. Some room(s) may be much warmer or colder than others.

Possible Cause:

If you have a forced-air system, you may be experiencing non-balanced air flow. Simply put, some of your home’s ductwork may be misaligned and may require repositioning. The fan from a forced air furnace emits a quantity of air. That air is divided among all the vents in your home, so the system for how the air gets from furnace to vents must be properly thought out. Every bend, every divide, every change in size in the ductwork affects how the airflow is distributed throughout your home.

Furnace Problem:

Your furnace sporadically starts and stops more than usual, or it attempts to light, but doesn’t. In other words, your home is colder than usual.

Possible Cause:

There may be a problem with the hot surface igniter, gas valve or inducer motor. The gas valve opens and closes to allow the flow of gas to the pilot light and burner. The hot surface igniter lights the gas flames. The inducer motor powers a small fan that sends air through the heat exchanger and out into your duct system, through your vents. All of these components work together to create and move heat throughout your home.

Your home’s furnace may also be oversized. Selecting the right size furnace for your home is important for a number of reasons, one of them being to avoid short cycling. Oversized furnaces tend to run hotter than they should, exceeding programed temperature limits. When the furnace reaches the limit, it will shut itself off.

Furnace Problem:

Your furnace operates on short cycles. In other words, your home is colder than usual.

Possible Cause:

Your furnace air filter may be too dirty. As the air filter becomes clogged with debris, the airflow becomes more and more restricted. This causes internal elements to overheat and exceed programed temperature limits. When the furnace reaches the limit, the burners automatically turn off.

Furnace Problem:

Your furnace is not working at all or continually breaks down, even though it’s not that old.

Possible Cause:

High static pressure is putting too much strain on the furnace. High static pressure is usually a result of poor ductwork design or installation. Sagging ducts, excessive bends and other installation misfortunes may be causing your furnace to work harder than it has to.

General Maintenance to Avoid Furnace Problems Again

As with most other home systems and appliances, the more you properly care for your furnace, the longer it will last. We recommend furnaces be serviced at least once a year.

As part of the Kobella Preventive Maintenance Plan, our team performs a combustion analysis to check that the furnace’s carbon monoxide emission levels are in the proper, safe range – a check often overlooked by other companies.

We also conduct a visual inspection of the heat exchanger. Faulty or malfunctioning heat exchangers can slowly leak out unsafe levels of carbon monoxide into the home. While carbon monoxide is odorless, if you notice a slight exhaust type smell, of your home’s carbon monoxide detector goes off, it could be your heat exchanger causing the problem.

Call today or sign up for our preventive maintenance program online.