There’s not much that’s worse than a total breakdown of your heating system in the middle of a frozen Wisconsin night. Unfortunately, once in a while, that is the sort of thing that happens. But we have good news for you! You can dramatically decrease the likelihood of needing emergency furnace repair by taking a few simple steps. Here’s what to do.
Annual Maintenance
Each year, ideally before the cold weather really sets in, make an appointment for routine furnace maintenance. Your HVAC technician will clean out all the dust of the past year, reapply lubricant where it has dried out, inspect every part of the system, and test electrical and/or gas components for safety. If you missed that this year, even though it’s a bit late, it will still be beneficial to schedule it now.
Air Filter Changes
Your furnace has an air filter. It’s not there to improve your indoor air quality. It’s there to protect your heating system. That’s because the more foreign fibers and particles get inside the furnace, the more wear and tear will occur. However, if the air filter collects too much dust, the furnace will struggle to get enough air to pass through. This decreases efficiency and can cause components to overheat.
What you need to do is change the filter regularly. Shut off the furnace, slide the old filter out, slide a new one in, and start the furnace back up. It’s that simple. Do this once a month during the winter. If you have a lot of extra dust around your home due to a lot of pet fur or construction or remodeling mess, you should check it a bit more often than that, just in case.
Prompt Repairs
If you do spot a small problem with your heating system, you can easily schedule an appointment for repairs. On the other hand, you could wait and see what happens. Will the issue resolve itself? Chances are, it will not. It will only worsen, leading to a more costly, more complicated repair with more components needing to be replaced. Or it might lead to a total breakdown.
Don’t let a minor issue turn into a huge problem. Get it checked out as soon as you notice that your furnace is behaving oddly. What do we mean by that? There are many possible signs of a furnace needing repair. Here are some of the most common.
- Noises: Bang, clank, groan, buzz, click—anything outside of the ordinary hum and whir is cause for concern.
- Odors: Hot metal, melting plastic, odd chemicals—these smells mean it’s time for repair. If you smell eggs, it’s a gas leak! Evacuate the house before calling emergency services.
- Poor Performance: If the heat doesn’t stay evenly warm, either swinging too widely in temperature or leaving you with cold spots in parts of your home, your furnace needs help.
- Short Cycling: A furnace starting and stopping every few minutes is short cycling. This can be caused by a lot of different issues, such as an overheating component or a faulty limit switch. Have it checked out right away because this issue leads to massive inefficiency and skyrocketing bills!
- Inefficiency: Even if you haven’t spotted anything else wrong, if your heating bill is strangely high, it is likely that your furnace is struggling, having to use more energy to get the job done.
In Case of Emergency
These steps can eliminate the vast majority of heating system breakdowns and help you stay cozy all winter long without worry. But you can’t plan for everything. If you do have a sudden need for emergency furnace repair in Madison, WI, we’ve got your back.
You can always count on 24-Hour Home Comfort Services, your heating and cooling specialists.