Areas to Investigate for Poor Furnace Performance

During the winter period we’re currently in, few fixtures in a given home are more important than the furnace. Responsible for providing heat and clean air to the entire space, the furnace keeps you and your family warm, healthy and comfortable during this season.

At My Buddy the Plumber, we’re proud to offer a variety of furnace installation and furnace repair services for all our clients as needed. Many of the common issues that may take place within a furnace during the winter can be prevented with a few basic areas of attention to detail – let’s go over these, which double as areas to investigate if you notice your furnace is not heating the home properly.

Filter Check

One area that should be a year-round consideration within your HVAC system, and particularly during the dead of winter, is checking HVAC filter cleanliness. Your filters need to be changed at least once every few months, and often more regularly depending on the type of filter and the level of air contamination in your home (whether you have pets who shed is a big factor, for instance).

A clogged or dirty filter not only risks poor air quality in your home, but also slows down the furnace and makes it work harder just to provide the same level of heat. This in turn raises your monthly utility bill and decreases furnace lifespan. If you’ve noticed the system performing sub-optimally lately, the first place to check is often the filters to ensure they aren’t backed up.

Vents and Registers

Another vital factor for proper furnace performance is airflow, and you control one big area here: Vents and vent registers. Move through every room in your home and ensure that vents are completely open, with no blockages from furniture, toys, dust or any other kind of buildup.

In addition, head outside and ensure your outdoor exhaust vent is clear as well – this allows runoff to be let out properly.

Thermostat

In many cases of furnaces that aren’t responding to the thermostat’s settings, the culprit is one of the simplest out there: The batteries are nearly dead and need to be replaced. These should be changed at least twice a year.

If this is not the case, you may need to call our team for issues with thermostat connectivity if you find the furnace is not responding properly. This is, of course, after you double-check all the settings to ensure this wasn’t your own manual error.

Stopped Air Flow

Finally, what about cases where you’ve noticed your furnace simply will not activate at all? The first area to check here is your circuit breaker and its connection to the furnace, which could have been tripped somehow and might just need to be reset. If this is not the case, call our team to help identify and remedy the issue right away.

For more on common furnace areas to keep an eye on this winter, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at My Buddy the Plumber today.