You may not have turned your furnace on yet for the season, but the time is approaching rapidly. We recommend you have regular maintenance for your furnace before the first true winter weather day, since this is the best help you can give to your heating system to make it through the season without trouble.
It’s furnace trouble that we’re here to talk about today, because one of the most common complaints the people who call us for furnace repair in Dover have is that their furnace cannot compete against the cold the way it used to. Instead, it’s leaving the house or certain rooms too chilly, and people are cranking up the thermostat to try to get more heat.
Calling us to investigate is the right step. You don’t want to open up the furnace yourself and tinker inside it—it’s potentially dangerous. We can help you better understand what might be happening by looking at several reasons why your furnace is falling behind on its job.
The air filter is clogged
A simple problem, and a case where you actually won’t need to call professionals. Check the filter on the HVAC cabinet where the furnace is located. If it hasn’t been changed in more than three months, the debris clogging it will cut off the amount of air the furnace can heat. Put in a clean filter and see if this improves the situation. (And keep changing the filter regularly, every 1 to 3 months.)
The thermostat is miscalibrated
Don’t keep raising the thermostat to attempt to compensate for a furnace that isn’t supplying enough heat. This will put more stress on the furnace and cause more damage … and the thermostat may be the problem! If the thermostat is reading incorrect temperatures due to a miscalibration, the furnace will not run long enough to get your house to a temperature you find comfortable. Our technicians can recalibrate the thermostat to fix this.
The furnace is short-cycling
This is when the furnace shuts down early before completing a full heating cycle. There are several possible causes of this, such as a faulty flame sensor or problems with the motors and the control board for the furnace. If the furnace is new, it may be too large for the space it’s supposed to heat. Our expats will find out the reason for the short-cycling.
The furnace is too old
The problem may be that the furnace is simply too worn down from age to provide the heating performance it once did. Although repairs can sometimes temporarily fix this, at a certain point repairs will be too costly; the money is better spent on a replacement furnace. The average lifespan of a gas furnace is 15 years. If your furnace is older than this, a drop in heating quality is a major warning sign it’s time to replace it. Call our technicians, and they’ll provide you with an honest analysis of your furnace and the best advice for your future heating.
At Atlantic Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Inc. “We Take Pride in Your Comfort.” Call us 24/7 for furnace repair service.