As a leader in furnace sales and service around the Salem and Woodburn area, we spend a lot of time helping people keep their home furnaces working correctly.
With furnaces, preventative maintenance is always better than waiting for something serious to go wrong. If you detect any malfunction signs in your heater, it’s a good idea to call for heater repairs ASAP. The problem will only get more expensive to fix if you wait.
So how do you know if your furnace is starting to develop problems? Here are some of the big warning signs.
Four Signs of A Malfunctioning Furnace
Unusual Smells
When you first fire up your furnace in the fall or winter, you’ll probably get some strange smells coming out of the ducts. Odd smells are expected; the furnace is burning off several months’ worth of dust and other accumulated material. However, the burning odors should disperse within an hour or two, and after that, your furnace should be odorless.
So, if you ever start smelling strange things from your ducts afterward, such as burning or metallic odors, it’s a sign that something has gone wrong.
Noises from the Heater
Modern furnaces should also run very quietly; at most, you should hear a slight hum from the motor or maybe a quiet whoosh of the pilot light. Any loud or metallic sounds, such as banging or scraping, are a bad sign. If you start hearing such things, your best bet will be to shut down the heater and call immediately for furnace repairs.
Dirt and Debris coming from the Ducts
You should be getting relatively clean, pure air from the ducts whenever your furnace is running. If you ever notice dust or other particles coming out of the vents – such as dust building up beneath the vent – there’s something wrong. The filter on your furnace may not be working properly, or you may have dirty ducts in need of cleaning.
Not enough heat coming from the ducts
Finally, of course, there’s the question of whether your furnace is producing enough heat. If your ducts’ airflow doesn’t feel very hot, or if the flow of air is lower than normal, these are also signs that your furnace isn’t doing its job correctly.
Furnace Installation, Repairs, & Services in Woodburn & Salem
When you have furnace problems in the Salem or Woodburn area, Melton’s Heating & Air Conditioning is here to help. From furnace sales to service and maintenance, just contact our team when you need us.
