Furnaces are the most common type of heater in America—and for good reason! They’re as durable and reliable as a heater comes. That’s why it’s so important for homeowners to be aware of when a problem is developing. Whether you’ve got an electric furnace keeping your home warm, or you depend on a gas-powered system that’s starting to lose its efficiency, vigilance is the first line of defense against paying too much money.
Using your eyes, nose, and ears, it can be rather easy to notice the most consequential problems with a furnace. We’re here to give you information that you’re better off knowing, while also providing the services you might need in case information isn’t enough.
So, if you’ve been having trouble either using your furnace or are hearing some unpleasant sounds coming from it, and you think you could use furnace repair in Helena, then this post is a must-read!
Strange Sounds
Has your furnace ever made a booming noise? How about a rattling? While this might be disruptive to your life, that’s not the only negative impact this sound can represent. Sounds can be a huge way to tell that there is a problem developing in your furnace.
In the case of a booming noise, that can most likely be attributed to what we call “delayed ignition,” where gas builds up in your furnace awkwardly and ignites all at once. This reaction causes a miniature explosion that can not only be scary to hear but damaging to the furnace system itself. If you ignore this problem, you could see a cracked heat exchanger in the near future and a plethora of other problems at well.
With a rattling noise, the problem could be as simple as a loose screw or panel. However, letting this problem persist can eventually lead to some pretty serious side effects, like decreasing your airflow as it blocks an area, or damaging your heat exchanger.
Bad Odors or Health Effects
We all know what flammable natural gas smells like. That classic “rotten eggs” smell is actually man-made! Municipalities that extract natural gas insert a chemical called mercaptan in order to give it an extremely pungent smell. This odor makes it easier to detect for homeowners and alerts us to when we need to call the fire department. If the inside of your home or the area around your furnace smells like rotten eggs, turn off the gas and head outside to contact both our team and the fire department—it’s likely you’ve got a gas leak.
Carbon monoxide can also leak from your furnace when it has a cracked heat exchanger, which is why having carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home is incredibly important. If you notice strange odors or unpleasant health effects from breathing in toxic carbon monoxide fumes, there’s something clearly wrong with your furnace and it needs to be repaired as soon as possible.
Some issues are more urgent than others. Don’t be afraid to give us a call and ask us about the condition of your furnace. Safety always comes first, and we can be right there to give you the service you need.
Call Ambient Air Solutions today for your furnace repair. Simplifying Heating & Cooling.
