In a properly functioning furnace, it should stop heating when it reaches its desired temperature. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen in a faulty appliance, and the furnace keeps running after temp is reached.
Obviously, when this happens, it means that your appliance has a problem that you need to be fixed by a furnace service as soon as possible. Some of the areas you need to look at when you have this problem include:
Thermostat
The thermostat’s role is to detect the temperature changes and signal the furnace to start or stop working.
If your thermostat is faulty or you have set it too high, like the upper 70s or 80s, chances are your furnace will keep running even when you achieve the optimal indoor temperature.
You should inspect the furnace and, if faulty, fix it. You also should set it at the right temperature. The United States department of energy recommends you set the thermostat at 68˚Fahrenheit when you are home for comfort and efficiency.
When you are at work or sleeping, lower the settings by 7˚ – 10˚.
Check the blower motor.
From its name, the blower motor blows hot air into the house. When the furnace reaches the ideal temperature, the motor should stop, but it will continue running if faulty, which is undesirable.
Check the motor and confirm that it doesn’t continue running even after achieving your desired temperature.
You need to feel the air coming out of the vent with your hand to check this. If the air is warm, chances are the blower motor isn’t the issue, but if the air is cold, check and see if the thermostat is set to the “ON” setting. If it is, set it back to the “Auto” position and see if the problem will disappear.
Inspect the air filters
The air filters determine the air quality getting into the house and the heating system. If it’s more than a month since you paid attention to the filter, the chances are high that it’s clogged and reducing the airflow getting into the system.
Due to the clogs, the heated air fails to reach the living spaces, which causes the furnace to keep cycling and running even when it shouldn’t.
You should inspect the air filter and confirm no clogging materials inside. Even if there isn’t much debris, but it has been more than a month since you last replaced or cleaned the air filter, replace it.
Check the ductwork
When you go for a long time without servicing your appliance, seals and joints in the ductwork can loosen, leading to leaks that make your appliance work harder, longer, and more regularly than it should.
The ductwork is sensitive, and you might not pick all the problems available, so it’s best to avoid trying to fix it by yourself and instead hire a professional to help.
How can you prevent the furnace from running all the time?
Prevention is always better than cure, so to avoid dealing with a faulty appliance, prevent the problem from coming about in the first place.
One of the most effective ways to make this possible is regularly inspect your heating unit.
If you are a dab hand at DIY projects, you can do the inspections yourself, but let an expert handle it if you have never done it before.
To keep your appliance in top shape, make it a habit to tune it up at least once every year.
Besides this, you also should make it a habit to fix the appliance at the first instance of a problem. Most homeowners ignore the minor issues that the furnace might develop. For example, they will ignore small noises coming from the unit.
Some will even ignore it when the furnace goes on and off.
To have peace of mind and keep your appliance in top shape, never ignore the furnace problems regardless of how minor they are. This is because it’s the minor problems that worsen with time.
Whenever your appliance develops a problem, move in haste and contact a furnace repair service Long Beach and fix it as soon as possible.