Home Heating Repairs; or What Might be Wrong with Your Furnace?

Home Heating Repairs; or What Might be Wrong with Your FurnaceLet’s start with a reality check: we don’t live in Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, or even Oklahoma. We live in Alabama, part of what folks call the Deep South.

Which means that while we have our winters, not many people further north of here feel very sorry for us when we complain about the cold, especially since they have so much more to complain about, and for longer periods of time.

That’s the reality check. And now for just plain getting real. As in, who cares WHERE we live if your furnace suddenly malfunctions or shuts down, and you’re so cold you can barely stand it. When you’re cold, you’re cold. But you don’t have to be for long: not with Eagle Service Company here to again, and on the double just for good measure.

In fact, if you have a repair problem right now, go ahead and contact us by phone or email. If, on the other hand, your furnace is acting up but still providing a sufficient amount of heat, maybe you’re just wondering what might be wrong with it. From our experience, here are the 8 most common causes of home heating repair problems.

  1. Lack of ongoing care. Even newer systems should be professionally serviced once a year. Otherwise, budding problems can go undetected and, before you know it, you have a repair bill on your hands. Not to mention higher utility bills and a shorter system lifespan.
  1. Clogged, dirty filters. Even with annual maintenance, furnace filters should be cleaned or replaced, as needed, at least every other month. That helps keep your system from over-working just to provide the desired amount of heat.
  1. How old is it now? Your furnace wasn’t built to last forever; no heating system was. So if yours is in or getting near the 15 – 20 year range, heating problems small and large are inevitable.
  1. Problem with the ignition or pilot control. Put simply, if your furnace can’t ignite, or ignite fully, it can’t properly heat your home, if at all.
  1. Faulty thermostat: Sometimes the problem is with the thermostat and not your furnace. If you have multiple zones and only one area of your home isn’t getting enough heat, there’s a good chance the the thermostat is the problem.
  1. Frequent “on and off” cycling. If your furnace is turning on and off way more often than normal, chances are you have either a clogged filter, improper airflow or a problem with your thermostat.
  1. The blower won’t shut off. If you hear your blower motor running non-stop, or even suspect that’s what you’re hearing, give us a call. Otherwise it will eventually burn itself out and leave you with an even bigger problem to cope with. If it simply won’t shut off, it might just need a replacement switch.
  1. “Please be quiet!” Furnaces are meant to be felt, not heard. But if you’re hearing rumbling, squeaking or banging noises, guess what? Something wrong. Two such possibilities are reduced airflow or a clogged burner.

And now for the good news: with annual preventative maintenance performed by Eagle Service Company, most heating system problems can be prevented. And then you won’t have to spend time playing furnace detective or facing repair bills that, more often than not, could easily have been prevented. Call us today for service, and place your furnace in our very capable hands.