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Watch Out for These Signs of a Malfunctioning Gas Furnace

Our philosophy at Triple O is to treat our customers like they’re family. We certainly don’t want our family members trapped with a failed furnace during the intensely cold winter weather of New York, so we don’t want our customers to have to encounter the same problems.

If you need fast heating repair in Batavia, NY, we’re ready to help! In this post, we’ll list the major signs that you’ve got a malfunctioning furnace so you’ll know to call us as soon as possible. Don’t wait when it comes to furnace problems and hope they will “get better.” Trust us, they’ll likely get worse, and you don’t want to risk that!

Uneven or inadequate heat

The center of your house may feel warm and cozy, but there are some rooms that feel too cold. Or perhaps you find that in order to enjoy the heat you normally expect from your furnace, you have to keep pushing up the thermostat. This is a warning that your furnace is losing its heating capacity: age, poor gas flow, trouble with the blower fan, and dirty burners are all possible reasons for it. Call us to find out the cause and get it corrected right away.

Odd odors 

Your furnace shouldn’t emit any strange smells. If you notice an odor like rotten eggs, the furnace may be leaking natural gas. Shut the furnace off immediately and call for assistance—never attempt to run a furnace that may have a gas leak! Other odors, such as dusty smells (except for when the furnace first comes on for the season) and mold are also reasons to call for professional HVAC technicians.

Noisy operation

If you’ve had your furnace for even a short time, you’ll know the sounds it makes as it runs: the whoosh of gas igniting, the sound of the blower running, or a bit of clicking as the system shuts down. When you hear anything louder and stranger than this, it’s a warning of something wrong. Clanging and banging can mean loose parts, screeching and grinding point toward trouble with the motors, buzzing sound that something’s wrong with the electrical connections, and booming that the burners are experiencing delayed ignition. Our technicians can figure out the cause of the noises and see what needs repairs.

Short-cycling

This is when a furnace doesn’t complete a full 15+ minute heating cycle and instead shuts off early, only to turn back on a short time later. If your furnace is cycling eight or more times during an hour, it’s short-cycling and needs attention soon. Short-cycling can warn of many different problems in a furnace, and on its own is damaging and wasteful of energy.

Unusually high energy bills

When a furnace malfunctions, it will strain more to do its job. You’ll see this reflected in your home’s monthly utility bills. If you see a rise in heating costs that you can’t account for, we recommend you call our team to examine the furnace and see if it needs repairs. 

Triple O Heating, Cooling, Electrical & Plumbing Is Your One-stop Shop for HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. Call us for all your home heating needs.

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