Austin, TX features comparatively mild winters, and most homes in the area use forced-air furnaces to keep their homes warm. It’s a simple and effective system: using burners and a heat exchanger to warm the air, then blowing it through the ducts in your home with a fan. But what happens when the fan stops blowing air, or if the airflow exists, but is severely reduced? The short answer is it spells trouble that you need to have addressed quickly.
What Causes Low Air Flow?
Low airflow can be caused by a number of factors, and a trained technician is required to treat them. But they usually boil down to one of two common sources:
- Something is restricting the flow of air, such as a blockage in the vents or a clogged air filter. In some cases, it can also be caused by a breach in your ducts.
- Something is interfering with the power source pushing the air. That usually means the fan belt, fan motor, or a problem with the fan blades themselves.
Why Is It a Problem?
The most immediate issue with low airflow is that it takes the furnace far longer than it should to warm your home: raising your monthly rates and increasing the chances of a breakdown as strain is added to other components in the system. That strain can also be increased by the excess hot air which sits in the system as the airflow slows down. It can damage key components in the system, and while modern models come equipped with automatic shut-off features to contain the damage, you still need to get the issue fixed before the heater will work again.
Contact the friendly professionals at Intelligent Air Services to perform repairs on your heating system and get your airflow back up to speed!