4 Signs Your Furnace's Heat Exchanger is Damaged

A heat exchanger is part of every furnace. The heat exchanger is the component that keeps combustion fumes separate from the breathable air that circulates through your home. If the heat exchanger becomes damaged, it can cause serious safety issues. That's why it's important to know the warning signs of a damaged heat exchanger and address the problem quickly. If you notice any of these warning signs of a cracked heat exchanger, have your furnace inspected and repaired as soon as possible.

Smells

A faulty or cracked heat exchanger can produce a strong odor similar to the smell of formaldehyde. This odor can cause severe headaches and other symptoms. Have your furnace inspected immediately if you notice a formaldehyde odor in your home. 

Flame Appearance

You should see a blue, steady flame if your gas furnace is working properly. An orange or yellow flame, or a flame that's unsteady and flickering, is a sign that your heat exchanger may be cracked. Call an HVAC technician for heating repairs right away.

Soot Buildup and Discoloration

Soot buildup inside your furnace indicates that it isn't burning cleanly. This is often caused by a cracked heat exchanger. When there are cracks in your heat exchanger, gases will escape. Soot will start to build up and the surrounding metal will become discolored. If you notice unexplained dark spots on your heat exchanger, it's a sign that it has a crack. Call a heating contractor for help as soon as you can. 

Carbon Monoxide Alarm

If your heat exchanger is damaged, carbon monoxide can escape through the cracks. Carbon monoxide is dangerous and can even be life-threatening. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home. If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, immediately vacate your home and call your local fire department.

4 Signs Your Furnace Needs New Air Filters

You rely on your furnace to warm your home, and neglecting to change your furnace filters can lead to problems down the road. Having that said, changing your furnace filters regularly can help to ensure that your furnace continues to run smoothly throughout the season. Keeping your furnace filters clean offers several important benefits that you won’t want to miss out on; here are a few: 

• Better indoor air quality and better health.
• Keep your furnace performing well and running more efficiently.
• Better airflow and comfort.

Not quite sure if your furnace filters need changing? Here are four signs that signal when it’s time to replace:

It's Been a Long Time. How often your filters need changing depends on several factors. For instance, they may need changing more often during periods of heavy use; if you have pets, or if someone in your household smokes, your filters may become clogged more quickly. Most filters should be changed at least every three months, while others need changing more often. To find out how often your filter needs changing, check the package and follow the manufacturer's recommendation.

Filters Look Dirty and Clogged. You may be able to tell if you need a new air filter just by looking at it. If the filter is visibly gray and you can see a build-up of dust and debris, it's time to replace it.

Your Home is Dusty. Your furnace filters remove allergens and dust from the air in your home. If your air filters are clogged, your home may become dustier than usual. Check your filters if you notice an unusual build-up of dust and dirt on your furniture.  

Higher Energy Bills. When your air filters are clogged, your furnace will run longer and work harder to maintain the temperature. This strain on your heating system leads to higher energy costs. If you've noticed a spike in your heating bill, it might be time to replace your air filters.

If you need assistance with your furnace, contact us today! We look forward to serving you.

3 Symptoms of a Malfunctioning Furnace

There is never a convenient time for your furnace to fail. However, preventing a future breakdown is feasible if you know what signs to look for. Spotting the three malfunctions listed below early can save you from spending a night or two without heat.

Frequent Cycling 

If your furnace in Valparaiso IN is healthy it will cycle on when the air in your home drops below the set temperature, and then it will turn off once it reaches the temperature programmed into your thermostat. Unfortunately, when your furnace begins to cycle on and off at random your system is telling you something isn't quite right. Over cycling can be caused by a number of problems, such as, a clogged filter, a faulty thermostat, or a corroded flame sensor. Pinpointing the exact issue isn't always easy. If you can't figure out why your furnace is constantly cycling on and off, contacting a HVAC professional will get you the answers you need.

Increased Energy Bills

When your heating behavior has not changed, but your energy bill is significantly higher the cause is most likely a drop in your furnace's efficiency level. This issue often occurs when older furnaces are nearing the end of their life; however, it can also signal a newer furnace is malfunctioning. Catching this symptom early can stop the malfunction from turning into something more serious in the future.

Excessive Dust

We've all put off dusting our homes before, but when the dust in your house suddenly seems excessive your lack of housekeeping is probably not the cause. An unreasonably dusty home can signal an issue with your furnace's filtration system. The air your furnace pulls in from the outside gets filtered before it is blown through your vents, meaning a lot of the impurities are removed. When the filtration system is not working properly the dust in your home will increase. Changing your furnace's air filter may solve the problem, but if it does not, you should have your furnace inspected by a professional.

If your furnace is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above or you would like to schedule a yearly inspection, please contact Kent Heating and Air Conditioning and we'll be happy to help you.

Signs You May be in Need of Furnace Repair This Fall

With winter right around the corner, it is important that you take a moment to make sure that your furnace is working properly. Having any necessary maintenance performed on your furnace now will help to ensure that you and your family are able to keep warm this winter. Yet, how will you determine if your furnace needs servicing? Read on for a few of the signs to keep an out for which can indicate that your furnace is likely in need of repair.

Your Home is Heating Unevenly

One clear sign that there is something wrong with your furnace is if your home is not heating evenly. If you are overly hot in one room and freezing cold in another, then it is likely that your system is in need of repairs. A variety of issues could be causing this problem, so you will need to consult an HVAC specialist to determine the source of the problem.

Your Furnace Runs Constantly

Generally, a furnace will cycle on and off throughout the day in order to maintain the temperature inside of your home; your furnace should not have to run continuously. If your furnace seems to cycle on more than it used to, this could be due to several different problems. Either there is something wrong with your thermostat that is preventing it from recognizing the temperature in your home, or your furnace is not running efficiently and has to run more frequently to keep your home warm. Either way, you will want to have this problem repaired, since a furnace running more than it should ultimately costs you on your energy bills.

It Makes Strange Noises

Your furnace may make a certain amount of noise when it cycles on and off. However, it should not begin making any loud or unusual banging, groaning, or squealing noises while it is running. This likely indicates that a component within your furnace is failing and will need to be repaired or replaced as soon as possible before your furnace stops working altogether.

It is important to keep an eye out now for signs indicating that your furnace may be in need of repair so that you can have it serviced before winter arrives.

Contact Kent Heating and Air Conditioning Inc to learn more about how you will know when your furnace is in need of repair.

Prevention or Failure?

Can you imagine if someone actually asked you that question? “Sir, would you prefer to perform a little bit of prevention today or have your heating system fail around 2 am tomorrow when it’s supposed to be 10 degrees below zero”? First, we would probably question if he knew something we didn’t – immediately. Then, we would really, really hope he was kidding. No one wants their home freezing cold with no hope of getting heat on soon at 2 am on a Sunday morning!

That would be a terrible inconvenience full of worry, not to mention the time to contact help (if you even can!) and the money spent trying to right everything again. It is definitely better just to avoid this happening altogether. I will take prevention every single time that choice is offered to me.

While this is a very dramatic scenario, it is a real possibility for people who choose not to have their furnaces and boilers serviced year after year. For more information on what you need to do to keep your heating system and your home safe and sound this season, read "Hey, I’m freezing in here. Is the furnace even working?"

The Daily Grind...

Unless you are on vacation, you are most likely involved in your daily grind. You know what I mean – it’s the things you do each day, each week and each year forever and ever on end. They are the things we must do to keep going; keep our jobs, our homes, our families, etc., but if we don’t have a break from our daily grind every so often, we get burned out. We no longer have the desire to perform the way we need to – to be efficient and effective in our everyday lives – and when that happens, everything goes downhill.

Guess what? The same thing happens with the equipment in our homes, in particular our heating systems. If each day, year after year, it does its thing of working to keep us warm, but is never checked on or “refreshed,” it cannot continue to perform properly. It will stop being effective and efficient and will start to break down. We all know bad things happen when heating systems start to break down. If you want to avoid the daily grind wearing down your system and costly repairs that are sure to come afterwards, read “The Brunt of the Furnace and Boiler.”

Making Sense of Maintenance

Being the intelligent reader that you are, I know you know that it makes sense to maintain a piece of equipment that represents a sizeable investment on your part. You wouldn’t let anything you value sit idle, untouched, uncared for – and then expect it to perform for you year after year.

That’s why maintenance of your furnace or heater makes so much sense. It preserves your investment, increases comfort and improves safety. And the way maintenance makes the very most sense is to tie the energy-saving, repair-reducing perks of a tune-up with the priority service and discounts that come from being part of a regular maintenance agreement program.

Hope you’ll find out more about how you can save year after year on regular maintenance (and lots of other things). Start by taking a look at this report, The Mechanics of Furnace Maintenance.

Is Your Furnace Keeping Secrets?

With winter setting in soon, this is the time to make sure your family will be able to stay warm and comfortable in the months ahead.

First order of business: get your furnace ready for service. Sure, it’s had a good long rest over the warmer months, but that also means it’s had a chance to collect dust, rust and gunk. None of that will help on a cold winter’s night.

The number one reason for your system failing isn’t age, brand, lightning or that you play with your thermostat too much – it’s dirt. That’s right, a furnace that isn’t regularly cleaned and tuned will most likely be the reason the heat doesn’t come one night.

There are a lot of other reasons seasonal maintenance is a good idea – like saving energy dollars, increasing the life of your system and protecting yourself from dangerous problems like carbon monoxide poisoning. This quick video explains more, so please take a look!