(Newswire.net — February 26, 2015) Sandy, UT — It’s official! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and that means winter is still with us. Whether you believe this famous forecast or not, there are still plenty of winter days left in Utah. And this means it’s a great time of year for Comfort Solutions to make sure your furnace is functioning properly, not wasting money and is keeping you and your family as comfortable as possible.
To help you know when to call, we’ve put together a list of the most common questions we get every day.
Q. Why won’t my furnace turn on?
A. This is single biggest reason folks call Comfort Solutions. In many cases, we can’t solve this problem until we’re at your house. Typically, it’s caused by one of following three problems, so make sure you check before calling us. And only check your pilot light if you feel comfortable looking into your furnace.
- Faulty thermostat – Verify the thermostat is switched to ‘heat’, the temperature is set correctly and the fan is set to ‘auto’. If you’re still experiencing problems, you may need new batteries or a new thermostat.
- Tripped or ‘blown’ circuit – Your furnace is likely on its own circuit, so if it is tripped or ‘blown’, you may not notice until you try to turn your furnace on. Check your circuit breaker.
- Malfunctioning pilot light – Pilot lights go out or can change colors for lots of reasons. If it appears yellow (build-up of carbon monoxide) or goes out altogether, call Comfort Solutions and we’ll diagnose and fix the problem.
Q. Why is my furnace blowing cold air and/or why isn’t it providing enough heat?
A. Gas and electric furnaces heat air and then circulate that air through your home by ducts. If the air coming out your vents isn’t heated or not heated enough, there could be several possible problems.
- Air filter is dirty – A dirty furnace filter prevents proper airflow to your furnace and makes it more difficult for your furnace to heat your house. Depending on the type of furnace you have, manufacturers recommend changing the filter at certain intervals (usually every 3 months) More often than not, this is the main culprit in reduced air flow. Check your filter before calling us.
- Air ducts are leaking – Cracks and weathered seals in your ductwork and/or insufficient insulation allows heated air to escape. If you live in an older home, this might be your problem.
- Uneven airflow – Do you have a room or whole level in your house that always seems too hot or too cold? If you answered yes, it’s probably not a furnace ’functioning’ problem at all. Instead, it’s more likely that the furnace ducts are designed improperly or the system is the wrong size for your home.
Q. My furnace seems to circulate heated air, but runs frequently for short intervals. Why?
A. Typically, furnaces turn on when room temperature drops below a ‘low’ set point on the thermostat. Most systems continue to heat until it is a few degrees warmer. This allows the heater to be more efficient. If you notice that your furnace is running for very short periods of time and then quickly cycling on again, here’s a list of possible problems.
- Thermostat is malfunctioning – Your thermostat may be not relaying the temperature to your furnace accurately. Replace the batteries to see if this solves the problem. If not, you may need to replace the thermostat.
- Heat vent is too close to thermostat – As soon as warm air starts blowing from the vent, it immediately heats the area near the thermostat. Unfortunately, this usually causes the system to shut off too quickly. And as soon as the warm air around the thermostat dissipates, the furnace turns on again.
- Your home is leaking air – Uneven heating or major heat loss will cause your furnace to run frequently for short intervals. Heated air quickly dissipates and flows to colder rooms or outside through air leaks. If your thermostat is in a room that’s susceptible to this type of leakage, this could be your problem.
- Furnace is overheating – This can be a very serious issue so if none the other problems seem to ‘fit’ your situation, this may be the one. Typically, ventilation problems cause overheating so look for blocked ducts, exhaust vents or even a dirty air filter. If you’re not confident you’ve found the problem, know that there are lots of things that could be causing your furnace to overheat and shouldn’t wait to fix them.
Ultimately, the best way to avoid these problems is through regular maintenance. Your furnace is a high-tech machine that requires routine servicing to run efficiently and for years to come. Rid those chills and lower those bills with Comfort Solutions!
About Comfort Solutions
Comfort Solutions was founded Fifteen years ago in Ogden, Utah with one employee, a service van and a big garage. We’re now one of Utah’s largest and most well respected Heating, Air and Fireplace providers. We employee over sixty-five people and proudly serve customers in Weber, Davis, Cache, and Box Elder, Utah and Salt Lake Counties. Our corporate offices still reside in Ogden, Utah and we have showrooms in Layton, Ogden, Holladay and Sandy Cities.