Behold, the heating season is here. Bye bye to walking bare-chested on the beach. Now, it’s time to cozy up with a blanket and crank up the furnace.
Talking of furnaces, if you had issues with yours the previous season, you must be wondering, should I get a new furnace?
According to furnace service providers, this depends on the working of your appliance. To help you out, here are signs you need a new furnace:
Your energy bills are going up, while the efficiency of the appliance is going down
An increase in your energy bills happens due to old age and your appliance working too hard to meet the demands of heating your house. As your heating costs keep going up, you might also notice your appliance getting less efficient at heating up your house.
If your appliance is more than 15 years and you have noticed its efficiency going down, it’s time to get a new unit.
Your furnace is showing visible cracks and other forms of damage
Cracked, leaky, or rusted furnaces are often beyond repair so the best course of action is to replace them. It’s recommended you ask a furnace technician to inspect your appliance before you begin using it. If you undertake the inspection and find out your appliance has symptoms that are beyond repair, simply replace the unit.
The appliance is struggling to heat your home
Is your appliance heating the house unevenly? Chances are its too old and as we mentioned above, if your appliance is more than a decade old, there is no point of repairing it. Simply replace it.
Tell tale signs your appliance is struggling to heat the house is some rooms being hotter than others. A struggling appliance will also start cycling on and off and even sometimes stop working altogether.
If you have had the appliance for a few years you can hire a repair professional to look into it but if it’s more than a decade old, it’s time to hit furnace stores and find a replacement.
The furnace is making weird noises
Even the most advanced furnaces aren’t dead silent but a malfunctioning appliance will make weird loud noises that are often a sign of trouble. If your appliance is making buzzing, rattling or banging noises, chances are the furnace is rusted or cracked.
Before you rush to get a new unit, ask a repair professional to inspect it and if the noise source can’t be fixed, it’s time to get a new appliance.
The burner flame is yellow instead of blue
Do you have a gas furnace? In a properly functioning appliance, the furnace will burn with a blue flame. When your unit is malfunctioning, it will have a yellow flame that is usually a sign your unit is producing carbon monoxide.
This means the fuel isn’t burning as cleanly as it should so the furnace is inefficient. Any other color other than blue means incomplete combustion and it’s not only a sign of an inefficient appliance, but it’s also a sign of danger as you can die due to carbon monoxide inhalation.
Other gases might also leak from the furnace triggering an explosion.
You have repaired the appliance too many times
Do you have the phone number of a furnace repair professional on speed dial? You must be spending a lot of money on repairs and it’s time to get a new unit.
What should you consider when getting a new furnace?
If you have ascertained it’s time to get a new unit, you should be cautious about the one you go for as no two furnaces are the same. One of the factors to consider is the size of your house. You don’t want a unit that is too big or too small for your home so take time to research and find one of the right size.
If not sure about the right unit to go for, ask a furnace repair service Long Island provider to help you out.
The other factor to pay attention to is the energy star rating of the appliance. Always aim to go for a unit with a high energy star rating. While this appliance will be expensive to buy, it will save you a lot of money in the long run as it will be more energy efficient.