9 Common Heating Issues (and What to Do About Them)

When it’s cold, it’s cold. If the heat isn’t running right, no amount of bundling up keeps you warm. We want to avoid you being in that situation. We know you don’t want to be in it, especially if your family is miserable during winter. Here are some of the most common heating issues your home will run into and what to do about them (and when to schedule heating repairs with Aux).

9 of the Most Common Heating Issues

Heater Won’t Turn On

There’s a handful of reasons a heater won’t turn on. The air filter could be clogged, the pilot light could be out, the thermostat could need new batteries, or the system could’ve had a mechanical failure. Check your filter and thermostat first. If the furnace still won’t turn on, check your breaker panel, and see if it tripped. If none of the above work to get it going, it’s time to call in Aux Home Services.

No Heat from Vents

If your heater turns on but only cold air, or no air, comes from the vents, this could be related to a clogged air filter, or your thermostat isn’t set high enough. It’s possible your ductwork could be leaking, spilling hot air into the walls vs. out the vents into individual rooms. This might be as simple as changing the filter or adjusting the thermostat, but you might want to call us out just to be sure.

Only Some Parts of Your House Have Heat

If some rooms have heat and others don’t or aren’t warming the same as others, your ductwork may be obstructed or leaking in specific parts of the house. One of the most common reasons for some rooms not heating up is the vent is accidentally closed – check that first. Otherwise, it’s time to call a furnace repair specialist like us.

Heater Constantly Runs or Short-Cycles

If your heater constantly runs or turns on and off during use, there could be a problem with your thermostat and faulty wiring not sending the right signal to the furnace to turn on or off. Short-cycling may also be occurring because of a mechanical failure inside the furnace. This is one for us to come out and inspect sooner rather than later.

Pilot Light Doesn’t Light or Stay Lit

If the pilot light doesn’t stay lit, it could be as simple as the flame sensor is dirty and needs to be cleaned. In other cases, the thermocouple could be faulty or malfunctioning. Sometimes a draft can also cause the pilot light to go out. If you’ve tried resetting your furnace and that doesn’t fix the problem, is one that you should call Aux for. Any time mechanical issues might be the cause, you need a trained, expert technician to diagnose the problem.

Unusual Noises

Any unusual noises coming from your heating system should cause concern, and Aux should come out and inspect the issue. You know your furnace the best; you know what it normally sounds like. Anything out of the normal could indicate a mechanical problem that needs to be fixed immediately.

Burning, Gas, or Other Smells

Other than when you first turn on the furnace for the winter, you shouldn’t smell burn off from the vents. If you smell gas, immediately turn off the unit, open the windows, and call the gas company – you could have a leak, and that’s an emergency. For any other smells, it could range from something crawled into your vents to something burning away in the furnace unit itself. If you’re not smelling gas and can’t locate the smell, schedule service with us to get to the root of the problem.

Pooling Water

Condensation can cause furnaces to leak water, sometimes just a little bit and other times quite a lot. If the drain pan isn’t containing the leak, chances are it’s backed up, or there might be something wrong with the condensation line or pump. This is another one that needs Aux Home Services to look at before the water causes damage to more than just your furnace.

Energy Bills Are High

If month-over-month your electric or gas bill shoots up abnormally, this could be due to your furnace. There are many reasons this happens but before you call and ask your electric or gas company about it, call us. We can send a technician out to inspect your furnace, make repairs, or recommend replacement. Often a faulty furnace can cause your energy bills to soar. This is one you shouldn’t wait to see what happens, have us come out and inspect your furnace to find any issues and fix them before next month’s bill comes around.

3 Common Reasons Your Heater is Acting Up

Old Age

Depending on the age of your furnace, it could just be on its way out. On the other hand, if you notice issues year after year or something seriously goes wrong from one winter to the next, old age may be catching up with your heating system. If that’s the case, repairs aren’t worth the effort or the cost; you should consider replacing the furnace with a brand new one, which will save money on energy costs and, in the long run, save you money having to emergency replace your furnace during winter.

Clogged Air Filter

You’d be surprised by how often a dirty, clogged air filter causes performance issues for your furnace. A dirty air filter restricts airflow, makes your furnace work harder than it must, and can cause wear and tear requiring you to replace the unit faster than you should. Refer to the manufacturer guidelines on how often to change your filter and consider if your family has allergies, you have pets, you smoke, or other factors that will require you to change the filter more frequently.

Lack of Maintenance

If you don’t perform annual maintenance, change your filter, get tune-ups, and ensure your furnace is working efficiently, the lack of maintenance will slowly wear down your unit leading to costly repairs and replacement earlier than necessary. Like taking care of your air filters, refer to your manufacturer guidelines for best practices for annual maintenance, and make sure to schedule an appointment with Aux Home Services every year to make sure your furnace is ready to keep you warm all winter long.

Don’t Wait to Take Care of Common Heating Issues

The longer you wait to take care of heating issues, the more it’ll cost to repair or replace your unit. Aux Home Services is here to resolve your heating issues, make recommendations on whether to repair or replace your furnace and ensure your heating system is running as efficiently as possible. Just because a heating problem pops up doesn’t mean you can’t take care of it – schedule an appointment with us today and check it off your to-do list before it gets colder this winter.