With the cold winds sweeping in off Lake Erie, this isn’t the time for your heating system to be falling down on the job. If your furnace or heat pump isn’t adequately heating your home, here are a few different steps to troubleshoot the problem and perhaps even correct it.
Clogged Air Filter
First check the easiest fix, the air filter. A filter that’s clogged with dust and other material may keep warm air from circulating freely in your home. It also will make your heating equipment run constantly in order to satisfy the thermostat setting. This can damage the equipment and definitely will waste energy. Inspect the filter monthly and change it when it looks dirty.
Blocked Registers
Another easy fix is one or more blocked registers. If one room or another doesn’t seem to be getting warm, despite other parts of the house appearing to be OK, check that nothing is blocking the registers, such as furniture, rugs, curtains and other objects.
Dirty Ductwork
Defective or dirty ductwork also might be the culprit. If you notice that some visible duct sections aren’t firmly sealed, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that this problem may be occurring throughout the network of ducts delivering conditioned air in your home. Use mastic sealant or quality metal tape to reattach disconnected duct sections.
Mechanical Problems
Mechanical reasons for poor heating performance generally will require the intervention of an HVAC professional. A lack of annual maintenance can lead to dirty, non-lubricated an/or maladjusted furnace or heat pump components (such as combustion blowers in the former, or heat-exchange coils in the latter). In any forced-air system, a defective blower motor can reduce heating performance or stop the system altogether.
Old System
Finally, an older heating system – one that’s nearing the end of its useful service life – may struggle to do the job it used to have no trouble performing. A trusted HVAC technician can recommend whether your older system can be repaired or needs to be replaced.
To discuss the heating system issues you’ve been experiencing in your Lorain area home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heating systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area