Does your heart sink when something goes wrong with your furnace? If so, you're not alone. Many people are a bit unnerved at the idea of something going wrong with their heating system since it could mean they'll be without heat for a while. But the good news is that a lot of furnace problems are not as bad or hard to fix as you might imagine. Here are three common furnace issues that aren't really as bad as they seem — although you will definitely want to get them taken care of.
Scraping Noises
The first time you hear a scraping noise coming from your furnace, you might figure some part has come loose. That may, indeed, be what's happening, but what's more likely is that you have a worn ball bearing in the blower motor. When a ball bearing becomes worn and flat on one side, friction in the unit increases. The sound you're hearing is metal scraping against metal. You should certainly have an HVAC contractor come to replace the ball bearing, sooner rather than later. But rest assured that this is a rather common, minor repair, and you can keep using your furnace until the repairs are made.
Dusty Odors in the Fall
When you turn your furnace on for the first time in a while, you may notice a dusty, scorched odor. This prompts some homeowners to quickly turn their furnace off because they fear a fire. But unless you actually see smoke, what you're smelling is just the dust burning off the furnace blower and ducts. The smell should go away within a few cycles. However, it is a good idea to call your HVAC technician and have them come clean your furnace burner. This will help prevent bigger issues, like a loss of efficiency, later on.
Squealing Noises
Does your furnace make a squealing or high-pitched squeak-like noise when it turns on? This noise then seems to fade as the furnace keeps running. Although the sound can keep you up at night, it's not likely to be a major emergency. Your fan belt is probably just starting to fray. An HVAC technician can come to replace the fan belt, which will put an end to the noise. Make sure you have this done within a few weeks, at most. A fraying fan belt can fail completely, and that would leave you without heat.
Some furnace problems are not as major as they initially seem. Talk to your HVAC technician to learn more about furnace repair.
Share9 February 2023
Every summer, I agonized over energy bills that would shoot into the stratosphere as a result of my efforts to keep cool in the heat. Every time I turned the temperature down, my bills increased. This summer, I decided to take some of the control over my energy bill back. I installed reflective film on my windows that reduced the amount of light and heat coming into the house. I started serving more cold meals or asking my husband to barbecue outside, so that my air conditioner didn't have to compete with the hot stove, and I started doing laundry at night to reduce appliance heat in the house at peak times. I also had ceiling fans installed. So far, the difference in my bill has been tremendous. This blog is a way for me to explore other ways to reduce energy drain during the summer months.