Many experts would say that your furnace is the heart of your home in the winter. It’s what keeps your family safe and warm no matter how low the temperatures drop. Here in Florida, the weather doesn’t get terribly cold, but we still have to use our heaters regularly.
When you do turn your heater on, you definitely want it to work. There are signs of dangerous furnace issues that you should never ignore. Noticing any of these signs can mean that your furnace has a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. If you need furnace repair in Saint Augustine, FL, give our team a call. In the meantime, keep reading to learn more about the signs you should watch for.
Loud Sounds
Whether your furnace is gas or electric, loud sounds are never a good sign. With a gas furnace, a loud boom can indicate that your furnace has a delayed ignition. This allows gas to build up in the area where the burners are before igniting. That boom is basically a small explosion that happens. It can put a lot of stress on your furnace and lead to it breaking down.
Electric furnaces can have similar problems. Usually, loud sounds in an electric furnace indicate that your blower motor is burning out. The blower motor can lose lubrication over time due to dust and dirt building up. This makes your furnace work harder and wear down faster.
Damage and Cracks
Damage to a furnace is especially dangerous if it is a gas furnace. This is because the system must be airtight to contain carbon monoxide that gets produced during the heating process. Your gas furnace has to funnel carbon monoxide outside of your home so that you only breathe clean air. If there are cracks in your heat exchanger, carbon monoxide can leak into your home and make your family sick.
But noticing damage or cracks to your electric furnace is never a good sign either. If your furnace is showing signs of wear, it could impact the electrical system that connects your furnace to your home. If these wires become loose or damaged, they can pose a fire hazard to your home. Plus, faulty connections can impact how efficiently your heater runs in general.
Sensor or Sequencer Problems
Your gas furnace has a sensor that helps to maintain the amount of gas entering your system. Your electric furnace has something similar called a sequencer. These components help to manage the amount of energy that your furnace uses or creates at any one time. It’s a way to help ensure that your system does not get overloaded. It’s important for a gas furnace because too much gas energy poses a fire hazard. It’s important for an electric furnace because too much electrical energy can overload your circuit and blow a breaker.
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