Furnaces – What To Check For, and What Can Go Wrong

Any property that has gas heating is going to have a gas furnace.  That being said, it’s important to take good care of said furnace—they operate at constant high temperatures, have active natural gas flowing through them and have several sensitive elements and complex wiring.  Furnaces of all brands and levels of quality require routine maintenance and diagnosis to ensure a home is taken care of during uncomfortable temperatures.

Furnaces can be relatively easily maintained with regular service.  However, if they are neglected and something goes seriously wrong, those problems become harder and harder to solve and fix without replacing parts or even the entire unit sometimes, unfortunately.

So, the first thing you can expect with your gas furnace is to regularly have it serviced or prepare yourself for a lot of stress. We can’t emphasize this enough—things go wrong with heating systems when they are neglected.  Servicing and checking up on a furnace takes minimal time, and touching up and tuning a furnace is much easier than replacing it, so stay on top of your furnace maintenance.  Care Temp offers furnace repair in Toms River, Ocean, Monmouth County, NJ and beyond, so let “The Company That Cares” keep your property warm!

Make sure your thermostat and your furnace are properly calibrated and designed to work together.  Many furnaces have specific thermostats that they work best with.  At Care Temp, when we install and service furnaces, we’ll always make sure that the thermostat and furnace work well together, but sometimes property owners aren’t so lucky—especially if they bought the property with the HVAC systems already installed.

Having bad calibration between a thermostat and a furnace can result in a furnace over or underworking when necessary.  A thermostat reading temperatures too high will create a colder environment which can be a problem in colder months, potentially causing frozen pipes and other cold damage.  If a thermostat reads too cold, the heater will be running extra to make up for the extra degrees lost.  This extra effort can really add up exponentially as time goes on, so make sure your thermostat is the right one for your furnace.

Carefully check your air filters, air ducts and ventilation systems.  All of these ducts, vents and filters link into your heating systems, including your furnace.  If an air filter is clogged, the lack of fresh air being delivered to the furnace can result in heat buildup and an eventual overheating of the furnace, which causes warping and damage to elements and wiring in the furnace.

Make sure you regularly check your air ducts for obstructions and damage.  Having cracks, holes or rips in duct systems can have a similar effect to clogging of filtration systems.  The lack of air flow will cause inconsistent heating throughout a property, and insufficient air flow to a furnace will cause heat build-up and eventual damage to the furnace and surrounding appliances.  Not only that, but you’ll be squandering good money on wasted heating.

Check the flames in your furnace(s).  The flames on your pilot and elements should always be BLUE.  A blue flame in a furnace is hot and healthy.  If you see your flames in your pilot and other elements “going yellow,” it is a tell-tale sign that your gas-oxygen mixture is off.    Yellow flames in a furnace could be indicative of a problem in your gas lines, and is also a potential indicator of carbon monoxide leakage in a property.  If you notice your furnace’s pilot light turning yellow, contact your HVAC specialist immediately.  Our heating repair specialists throughout Toms River and the surrounding regions will know exactly what needs to be done.

These are just a few examples of things to look out for in your furnace.  Remember, the furnace and boiler are integral parts of your heating system.  Care for them properly and they’ll take care of you as well.  If you’re in a bind and need your furnace checked anywhere around Toms River, NJ, contact Care Temp today.  We’re “The Company that Cares.”  We guarantee we’ll be there, and we’ll do everything in our power to bring your heating and cooling systems back up to speed.

Call us today at 855.788. TEMP.  Our emergency services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long.  Instead of freezing this winter, call Care Temp.