The heating season has arrived, and our home furnaces are likely to keep running on a regular basis all the way through to the spring. If your furnace has already received its regular fall tune-up, then it should remain in the best shape possible for the rigors of a Burlington, VT winter. (If you haven’t scheduled maintenance yet, it’s never too late to call—and sooner is better than later!)
We would love to tell you that routine maintenance will prevent any and all repair issues in a furnace. Of course, that’s not the case: nothing will make any mechanical device 100% error-proof. During these early days of the heating season, keep a watch for signs that your furnace is experiencing issues. The sooner you call for repairs, the less likely you are to encounter an even larger and more expensive repair down the road!
- Booming sounds at start-up: If you furnace creates a startling “booming” noise when it starts up, the reason is probably carbon build-up along the burner. This restricts the jets from firing at the proper time, so when they do come on it burns the gas already inside the combustion chamber so fast that it creates a boom sound. You don’t want the jets blocked, so call technicians to clean off the burner.
- Clicking sounds: A number of different problems can account for clicking sounds from the furnace, but the one you need to be most aware of is a crack in the heat exchanger. This can result in carbon monoxide escaping, which is hazardous. Get repair experts in to look at the furnace as soon as possible.
- Acrid scents from the registers: When the smell of something burning comes from the vents, it usually means that one of the motors in the furnace is under strain and is likely to burn out soon.
- Higher bills than expected: The first energy bills for winter arrive. Are they higher than you anticipated? That might mean the furnace is consuming more energy than it should due to a malfunction. Having this repaired will not only help avoid a breakdown, it will save you money.
Red Rock Mechanical LLC offers heating repair services whenever you need them.
