When it gets cold outside, homeowners all over the country reach to turn up the heat. While it would be amazing if everyone’s heating system always worked flawlessly, this isn’t always the case. There may come a time where your furnace experiences issues that are holding it back or stopping it from working at all.
These can be annoying to deal with, and can leave you confused about what to do next. Without any further ado, let’s go over how you can fix some of the most common heating problems that you may be experiencing in your home.
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Furnace is Blowing No Air or Cold Air
A common issue that many homeowners will face in regards to their furnace is that it won’t blow any air, or the air that it does blow is cold. This can be incredibly frustrating to deal with, and can make for some very cold winter days.
In order to deal with this issue, it is best to call a company who specializes in heating repair services to come inspect the furnace and see what could be causing the issue. With there being so many potential causes, finding it out yourself with no HVAC experience may be challenging.
Some of the reasons for this are a clogged filter, your thermostat controls not working, issues with the pilot light, a malfunctioning component, or there is a lack of fuel to your system.
Furnace Sounds and Smells Strange
Another common issue is weird noises occurring when your furnace is running. While a furnace isn’t silent, you will eventually get used to the noise that yours will make. If it begins to make loud noises that aren’t normal (such as banging, rattling, buzzing, or grinding) it could be cause for concern.
In a similar vein, strange smells coming from your furnace is a common issue, too. Your furnace may smell of rotten eggs, burning plastic, mold, chemicals, and more. If you experience weird scents or sounds that are worrisome, it is best to turn off the system and call in an expert, to be safe. If you leave it running and simply ignore the issue or hope it goes away, it could be harmful to not only the system, but potentially your health.
When it comes to the sounds, they are often caused by loose or missing parts, or components that have become damaged or misaligned. The scents could come from leaks, gasses escaping, moisture being trapped in the furnace, or a variety of other things.
Cold Spots Appearing in Your Home
Cold wind spots
A heating problem that many households will experience is certain areas of the home remaining cold even though the furnace is on. This is obviously caused by warm air not reaching that area, but there are a few reasons why that might be the case.
It could be certain ducts being clogged, there could be leaks or air gaps in the ducts, or the way your registers and vents are set up is ineffective. Even something as simple as keeping furniture over vents could interrupt the warm airflow and keep the area feeling cool.
If you have unblocked all vents and registers, and don’t notice any major leaks in your ductwork (that you can see), it is best to call in a pro so they can do a full inspection to identify the issue.
We hope that this article has been able to help you fix some of the most common heating problems you will encounter in your home.
