Furnaces are essential in every household where heated air is a necessity. Having a malfunctioning furnace in the middle of the winter is terrible news. Knowing the causes of damage will help owners be more mindful of how they treat this essential device. In Salt Lake City, Utah, where the snow is described as the “Greatest Snow On Earth,” furnace repair services are available in many areas. If you think it is time to inspect your furnace, take note of these damage culprits.
Dirty Air Filters
Furnace air filters must be replaced regularly. Even when the furnace is not in use, checking the filters is a necessity to see if dirt hasn’t built up yet. Extreme dirt buildup will clog the air filters, causing the furnace motors to increase pressure when releasing heat. Straining the motors may reduce the lifespan of your furnace, or damage it completely before you could identify the problem.
Taking good care of your furnace’s air filters is the simplest step, and first of the many preventive measures you can take to keep your furnace working optimally.
Closed Vents
It turns out that closing air vents is a common mistake people make that harm their furnaces. Like dirty air filters, higher pressure in the furnace motor is to be expected with even just one closed air vent.
To understand how the vents affect your furnace, the blower system is designed to work under a certain amount of pressure inside the duct. If one air vent is closed, pressure in the duct will increase, potentially causing costly damage. Therefore, having all of your air vents open will distribute the pressure evenly.
Older furnaces only have two functions–on and off. When an extra amount of pressure is forced into its motors, the blower will run slower, resulting in difficulty in pulling cool air into the heat exchanger. Doing this may eventually lead the heat exchanger to crack and overheat.
On the other hand, newer furnace models have more functions at different speeds. Closed vents force the blower motor to run at a higher speed, contrary to the older models that slow down. However, these forces the blower to use more energy to accommodate the pressure, but the pressure, in turn, may shorten the lifespan of your furnace.
Water Damage
Water damage to your furnace begins with leaks. Leakage has likely something to do with the pipes. White PVC vent pipes indicate that your furnace is condensing, while metal pipes indicate standard or conventional furnaces without condensation. A blocked condensate drain is a common cause for leaking in a condensing furnace. This type of furnace has two heat exchangers. Both heat exchangers absorb a lot of heat, converting gas into liquid. When the drain gets blocked, the condensated water won’t drain properly, causing leakage.
In the case of conventional metal-piped furnaces, one of the causes of water damage could be the humidifier. Some furnaces have a built-in humidifier, and because this device requires constant water flow to produce moisture into the air, water is being drained out continuously. Frequently checking the water tap lines, water feed tubes, and drain lines would for any sign of blockage prevent leakage from happening.
Now that you’re informed on what could be making your furnace faulty make sure to conduct regular check-ups and maintenance at once. Costly damages are not a welcome problem to any household–don’t take your water heaters, air conditioners, and other heating equipment for granted!