Does Your Furnace Need Repairs?
Hello there, and welcome back to our blog! Here at Jay Mechanical, we want to help as many Essex area residents as possible make sure that their furnaces are ready for the approaching winter. As most Vermont residents already know, the winter months can get rather cold and, if your furnace is not up to the task of properly heating your home, you are in for a long, cold winter. Making sure that your furnace is ready before the weather starts to turn is a great way to make sure that it won’t break down when you need it the most and, in the first of a two part blog series, we are going to go over some of the signs that may indicate your home’s furnace needs to have some repairs done before you begin to rely on it. Continue reading below to learn more.
Don’t Neglect Your Furnace
Unfortunately, a lot of people forget about their furnace until it is time to use it. We don’t blame folks for this, however, it is important to make sure that your furnace is ready to go before you experience your first cold night. The average furnace lifespan is about 15 years, meaning that it is vital that you make sure it is in as good a repair as possible so that it will last for as long as possible. Below, we have listed a few of the warning signs that may indicate your furnace is in need of repairs.
Sign #1 – Your furnace hasn’t been checked in over a year
The first thing you need to do when deciding whether or not your furnace may need some help in order to make it through winter is to ask yourself when the last time you had your furnace looked at by an HVAC technician. If it has been over a year since your furnace has received a maintenance check, you’re long overdue to schedule one. Even if everything is seemingly okay with your furnace, the air filter will most likely need to be replaced and any dust or debris that has made its way into the internal mechanisms of the furnace will need to be cleared out. While this isn’t exactly a sign that your furnace needs repairs, it is always a good first step to take in maintaining your system.
Sign #2 – The smell of gas
If you turn on your furnace to make sure everything is working right and smell natural gas emanating from your vents or the furnace itself, shut down your furnace immediately. Second, open your furnace, find the supply valve that feeds gas into the system, and shut it off. Leaking gas can be very dangerous for a home and is a very good indication that something is not quite right with your unit. While it could be something as simple as a faulty gasket, it could also be an indication that some pretty hefty repairs, or even a replacement, is necessary. If you notice a gas smell from your furnace in Essex, please contact us immediately so that we can send a technician to your home to make sure that your furnace is not at risk of exploding.
Sign #3 – Pools of water around your furnace
While gas is the most dangerous substance that your furnace can leak, water is not exactly a good sign either. While it is true that a water leak is significantly less dangerous than a gas leak, it still needs to be addressed as quickly as possible if you want your furnace to be able to keep your home warm this winter. If you have noticed water pooling around your furnace, the most likely cause is a clogged condensate line, a problem that is best left to the professionals to fix.
Join us again next time as we continue to cover some of the signs that may indicate that you are in need of our furnace repair services. If you already feel as though your system is showing some troubling warning signs, please do not hesitate to contact the experts at Jay Mechanical today. We offer fast, affordable, and professional furnace repairs and we are certain that we can help with any issue that you may be having.