As you prepare for Thanksgiving festivities in Falmouth, MA, you want to make sure your furnace doesn’t leave visiting family or friends in the cold. Some of these signs will suggest minor problems while other indicators point to the need for urgent follow-up. No matter the issue, though, it’s smart to schedule service with professionals like those at DeWolfe Plumbing, Heating & Cooling as soon as you notice a concern with your heating unit, especially before your guests arrive and add extra strain to your system.
Below are seven of the top indicators that you should set up maintenance for your furnace to prepare your home for the Thanksgiving, other holidays, and the colder winter months.
1. Short Cycling
Short cycling happens when your furnace starts its usual cycle but then stops it after only a few minutes. The unit will end its run well before reaching the temperature that you set on the thermostat. A normal cycle should last for 15-20 minutes, so if your heater isn’t lasting for this long as it runs, then something’s wrong.
Various things can contribute to a furnace short cycling. A damaged or miscalibrated thermostat won’t communicate properly with your heater, and the unit thus will have trouble knowing when to start and stop. A dirty air filter and clogged ductwork can also cause short cycling as can a bad flame sensor. Regardless of the reason, a tune-up can help address this problem and get your heater running well again.
2. Energy Bills Too High
Your utility costs will normally start to go up as you begin using your furnace to combat the cold late-fall and winter weather in Falmouth. However, what’s not normal is if you see a sudden, sharp increase in your energy bills. This is especially true if you’ve not altered your system usage from the previous year and your local utility company hasn’t raised their rates.
What this most likely means is that your furnace has an issue that’s causing it work less efficiently. As your furnace has to put out more effort to warm your home, your bills will keep going up and up. This will cost you more and more money. Sometimes, the problem is as simple as a dirty air filter. Check your HVAC’s filter to see if it’s clogged up with dust and other particulates. If so, clean it, or just swap it out with a new one. You should do this around every 90 days or so anyway.
If the filter isn’t the cause of the system’s inefficiency, though, then set up furnace repair service with trained and certified technicians to find out what’s going on and perform the necessary maintenance.
3. Furnace Getting Old
Furnaces can last for up to 20 years if kept in great shape. However, as they get older, they will naturally accumulate wear and tear from normal yearly use. If your heating unit is at least 10 years old, it might need some extra care so that it keeps providing you with a cozy, comfortable home. Always set up your furnace maintenance appointment sometime in the fall to prepare it for the upcoming colder weather.
4. Unit Putting Out Cool Air
The last thing you want to feel from your furnace on a bitterly cold night in Falmouth is cool air. There are a number of causes for this. Many times it’s the accumulation of too much dirt, either within the unit itself, inside the ducts and vents, or on the air filter. A precision cleaning via a maintenance service will address this problem.
A related problem is when you feel some rooms in your home warmer than others. Unless you’ve closed off the registers to these rooms, which we don’t recommend doing, the issue most likely lies within the system.
5. Poor Indoor Air Quality
The air coming from your HVAC system shouldn’t cause you to start coughing, sniffling, or sneezing. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is often a sign of a neglected system. As with the issue of cool air coming from the system, bad IAQ can suggest there’s too much dirt within the furnace or in components like the ductwork.
6. Weird Noises or Smells
As your furnace runs, it should make a sound no louder than a gentle humming. Your heater should also not produce any odors, except for possibly a burning smell as it burns off dust after you turn it on for the first time in months. So, if you do start hearing strange noises or smelling foul odors, then request tune-up service to have these issues addressed.
7. Yellow Pilot Light
The furnace’s pilot light should always stay blue as it runs. If it becomes a yellowish color, then reach out immediately for service. A yellow pilot light could mean your system has a carbon monoxide leak, which requires prompt attention. Too much air within the lines can also cause the pilot light color change. Your furnace might also have a damaged thermocouple.
Why It’s Important to Schedule Furnace Maintenance
Besides the most important reason, which is to keep your home warm and comfortable, there are other reasons why you should schedule annual tune-ups for your heater. You’ll help extend the unit’s life span. A brand-new heater is a significant investment, and you’ll pay a lot up front to get a replacement. However, you can put off getting a new install if you keep up with the routine maintenance for your current unit.
Regular maintenance also helps keep the HVAC’s warranty valid. If you ever attempt any sort of DIY tune-up or repair on your system, you’ll invalidate the warranty’s terms. What this means for you is that you’ll end up responsible for paying for any future repairs for the furnace. As HVAC repairs can cost from hundreds to even thousands of dollars, it behooves you to let the professionals at DeWolfe Plumbing, Heating & Cooling perform the needed maintenance for your heater.
Our Maintenance Plan Can Help
We have a Homecare Club maintenance plan that offers quite a number of benefits. We can perform a precision inspection of your heating system that will enable us to catch small problems early before they have a chance to get worse. If you sign up for our plan, you’ll also get priority service scheduling over non-members as well as 10% discounts on repairs.
Your HVAC Service Team in Falmouth
Trust in DeWolfe Plumbing, Heating & Cooling for all your HVAC needs. We not only offer furnace maintenance but also air conditioner tune-ups as well. Our services extend to heating and cooling repairs and installations. We’re also adept at working with boilers, heat pumps, and ductless mini-split systems. Related services we offer include indoor air quality assessments, dryer vent cleaning, and commercial AC.
We’re also your go-to plumbing company. Turn to us for drain cleaning, camera inspections, and service for water heaters and tankless models. We can provide service for water mains and sump pumps, too. To prepare your furnace for the upcoming holidays and winter in Falmouth, call us at DeWolfe Plumbing, Heating & Cooling to set up your maintenance appointment.
