During the chilly months, you depend on your residential heater to keep your home warm. A malfunction, whether it’s a heat pump or gas furnace, means it’s time to call the heater repair service, pull out space heaters, don thick sweaters, and suffer in discomfort till the heating service provider shows up.
But if you want to know what caused the heater malfunction or how serious the issue is, here are the most common reasons why your residential heater might be acting up.
1. Blower Capacitor
The blower capacitor looks like a big battery and is responsible for kick-starting your blower when the thermostat is turned on. The capacitor has a tolerance level below which your blower may not reach optimum RPM and fail to start. A fading capacitor may also cause a blower malfunction leading to hefty repairs.
Capacitor failure is common in most cases of unexpected heater failures. Hence our heater repair service checks the capacitor tolerance on every routine maintenance to stay ahead of the issue.
2. Refrigerant Gas
Heat pump malfunctions are often caused by low refrigerant levels, making your heat strips turn on more often than usual, leading to costly utility. If you feel the heat strips are turning on more frequently, you should think about recharging the refrigerant gas, or the compressor may overheat and blow.
Recharging the gas and fixing any leaks will cost much less than replacing the compressor or living without heat. You can also get your heating service to swap out the old system with the latest R-410A refrigerant.
3. Starter Components
Heat pumps may also not work due to failed starter components. They can prevent your residential heater from turning on properly and require total replacements of bad parts to get the system working again.
Our home & business heating service offers regular inspections to help you identify such parts before failure, saving you costly repairs later.
4. Draft Motor
The draft inducer is a little motor that empties the excess gas from the previous cycle of the heat exchanger and vents all the byproducts of the furnace fire. A draft inducer that constantly draws higher amps will burn out eventually. Safety switches can also turn the furnace off due to dust and dirt deposition. The draft motor should be checked every heating service tune-up and may require replacement when it malfunctions.
5. Heat Exchanger
A cracked heat exchanger may not cause furnace failure right away. Still, it will affect the performance of your heating system till it shuts down. Cracks in heat exchangers are indicators of airflow obstruction by dirty parts as well. Replacement by a professional heater repair service is the only viable opinion because they have carbon monoxide (CO) in them. When cracked, the CO leak can make you nauseous and even take lives if the situation goes unnoticed.
6. Installation or Ductwork
Proper ductwork is a significant undertaking for any home & business heating service. However, many contractors cut corners and rely on the rule of thumb rather than science to give you barely adequate heating. Many times poor ductwork can lead to insufficient airflow, making your system work overtime. It can also cause frequent furnace failures, leading to overheating and collapse over time. Fixing the corrupt equipment and properly redesigning the ductwork is the only viable solution.
7. Regular Maintenance
Maintenance lag is the most common cause of local heating service calls in the winter. Since dirt in the blower motor may cause failure, the heat exchanger won’t function without cooler airflow to avoid overheating. Filters should be replaced every three months to prevent restricted airflow. An inability to light the burners is a clear indicator of a dirty flame sensor.
The reason behind your furnace not working at total efficiency can often be attributed to dirt-laden burners. A soiled flame sensor will turn off as soon as it turns on because it can’t sense the flame. The chances of your flame sensor being covered in layers of gunk are high if you don’t clean it at least seasonally.
It’s a great idea to use a reputable and reliable heater repair service provider for regular maintenance. This way, you won’t have to deal with the discomfort of a residential heater failure or the inconvenience of a commercial heater malfunction. Annual maintenance by our reliable home & business heating service kind of pays for itself. The family here at MacKenzie Heating and Cooling is here for you if you need us!
