The general comfort of your home and family is dependant on a reliable and strong running furnace. Keeping your home warm and safe can be vital, especially in colder climates or areas where there are harsh snowy winters. Your life can depend on your furnace working well, so yearly inspections are highly recommended.
If you start to suspect that your furnace is no longer as efficient as it once was, it could be time to take a closer look. Apart from having a professional HVAC technician come into your home, there are several ways to determine if your furnace is having issues. You may notice the quality of the air in your home is deteriorating or you may start to hear strange noises coming from your furnace.
These are just some of the warning signs that it is time to consider replacing your furnace. If you are concerned about how well your furnace is working, don’t wait to have it looked at. The longer you wait to correct an issue, the more money you could end up spending on repairs. If you notice any of the following warning signs, you could be ready for a whole new unit.
Age
Most furnaces are estimated to run efficiently for 16 – 20 years. If your furnace is already in that range, you should start to shop around for a new unit. You don’t necessarily have to wait until you have a breakdown to replace your old furnace for a new model. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to experience expensive repairs and loss of function that can leave you in the cold.
Rising Energy Bills
If you start to notice that your heating bills are getting more expensive, it could be that your furnace is no longer working properly. With a less efficient system running in your home, your furnace will have to work harder and longer to keep a steady temperature. This can hike up your energy bills significantly and end up costing you more down the line.
Repetitive Repairs
If you have to repeatedly call in a repair technician to fix your furnace, it may be time to look into a full replacement. Once a furnace has reached the end of its lifespan, the small problems will keep on coming. If you have had to bring in a service technician more than once in a season, that’s a good sign that your furnace may be on its last legs.
Pilot Light
The flame on your pilot light should always appear to be a blue color. If you notice a yellow tint to the flame it can indicate that there is too much carbon monoxide in the system, which can ultimately be deadly to anyone in your home. Soot streaks, interior moisture buildup in your windows and rusted chimney pipes are all signs of carbon monoxide contamination. If the pilot light is flickering instead of being a steady flame you could have issues with gas distribution or a leak which should be fixed immediately.
Strange Noises
As your furnace ages, it will use more effort and energy to run properly. The breakdown of materials, electrical systems and moving parts is inevitable in any furnace. If you start to hear strange noises when your furnace is running like clunking, popping or rattling it could mean that your unit is starting to deteriorate.
