Why Is My Furnace Inadequate at Heating the House?

cold-man-with-thermostatYou may not need your furnace running every day during the winter to keep you comfortable. But when it is running, you want it to do the job you expect—keeping the house warm. If the furnace isn’t up to the task and you’re finding cold spots in the house and the family is complaining about the temperature, you may need to consider heating repair in Cedar Park, TX, or even look into getting a new furnace installed.

We’ll look at some of the possible reasons why your furnace isn’t getting the job done.

Has the furnace always had this problem?

First, we want to see if this is a new issue. If you’ve had this furnace for a few seasons already and it’s worked fine until now, then the issue is either a malfunction or due to the effects of age (see below). If this is a new furnace, however, the problem may be that it was poorly installed. During the furnace installation process, installers must size the furnace so it produces enough heat for the house. Amateur or inexperienced installers may incorrectly size the furnace so it doesn’t output enough thermal energy for comfort. If this is the case, the only option is to have the furnace replaced. Make sure you call a licensed and experienced technician for the replacement.

The furnace is too old

Losing heating power is often a major warning sign of a furnace that’s over-the-hill and ready to retire. The average gas furnace can usually last 15 years if it’s well-cared for, and some can make it to 20 years. If your furnace is older than 15 years, a decline in heating output usually means it’s time to look for a new furnace.

The air filter is clogged

From big changes to small ones … the furnace’s filter may be clogged with dust and debris because it hasn’t been changed in months. (Both the AC and furnace usually have the same filter.) A congested filter drastically cuts down on airflow through the ventilation system, and that means less comfort around the house. Put in a new filter to see if this improves the situation.

The thermostat is miscalibrated

The furnace may be fine, but the thermostat isn’t sending it the right instructions. If a thermostat becomes miscalibrated and starts to read incorrect temperatures, it will cause the furnace to run less often and fail to properly heat up the house. (Conversely, it may make the furnace run longer and make the house stuffy.) Don’t keep pushing up the thermostat to compensate: call for professionals who can recalibrate the thermostat.

Broken ductwork

Air leaks in the ductwork are a leading cause of inadequate heating in a home. Enough air can escape from these leaks (up to 30%) to cause a significant loss of heating to rooms. To fix this, you need to have HVAC technicians test the ductwork and then seal up the leaks with special equipment.

Let our NATE-certified HVAC experts find out why you have a furnace that’s falling behind. They’ll have the problem fixed, whatever it takes.

Call iAir Services when you need help with a troublesome furnace. “The Intelligent choice today makes cents tomorrow.”

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