Furnace Getting Older? Three Issues You May Have in the Future

If you have a furnace and have had it for a long time, it may start having problems in the future. Knowing about these problems will allow you to have them taken care of much sooner, which may help the furnace last longer. Keep reading to learn about three issues so you will not have to go without heat as long. 

Will Not Start

If your furnace will not start at all this can be due to many things. What is wrong will depend on the type of furnace you have. If you have an older furnace, you likely have a pilot light. Newer furnaces use electric ignitions. Over time the pilot light or the electric ignition can start having problems and fail completely. 

If your furnace uses a pilot light make sure it is on. The flame should be blue if the pilot light is working. If the flame is another color, such as yellow, then you have problems. For the electric ignition, there is no way for you to check this yourself. 

Hear a Scraping Sound

If you hear a scraping sound when your furnace is running this could be due to the ball bearings. The blower on the furnace is what pushes the heat through the air ducts into your home. Ball bearings are part of the blower and over time they can wear out. If this is the case, a contractor can replace the ball bearings for you. Do not keep running the furnace if you are hearing this sound as this can cause further damage. 

The blower motor may also be having problems. If so, the furnace cannot push a lot of air into the ductwork. In a case like this, a contractor can replace the blower motor for you.

Not Heating Your Home

If your furnace runs well but is not heating your home, there could be a problem with the heat exchanger, which is a coil that has heated tubes. As air passes through these tubes, it is heated before it goes into the ductwork. This is an important component as without it air cannot warm 

These tubes can crack over time or have other problems. If there is a problem the HVAC contractor can replace the heat exchanger. This is an expensive repair but will still cost less when compared to purchasing a new furnace. 

The heating service that you hire can give you much more information about these problems and other issues you may have.