The cold weather has not arrived yet, but we all know that once October is finished, it won’t be long before we’re dealing with low temperatures and we will be turning our furnaces on. As a local HVAC contractor with a history serving Indianapolis, we want all our customers to be ready for any troubles they may have with their furnaces.

First, the best way to prepare for furnace trouble is to schedule heating maintenance. This will lower the chance of repair issues and possible safety problems. Once that’s done, you’ll be in good shape to have the furnace come on and warm your house. But you’ll still need to keep a watch for potential malfunctions so you’ll know to schedule furnace repair in Indianapolis, IN. We are ready to help! Below is a list of five of the most common furnace problems to be ready for.

The blower fan in your HVAC system is the part that passes air through the furnace to be heated and then sends it into the ductwork. The motor powering this fan does an immense amount of work through each winter, and if it wears down from dirt and lack of lubrication, it may burn out. If you detect an acrid smell coming from the furnace cabinet, it may be the motor burning out. Shut off power to the furnace at the electrical panel and call technicians.

Unless you have an extremely old furnace that uses a standing pilot light, your gas furnace will use an electronic ignition system to light the burners. This component can fail, which will mean the furnace won’t ignite. If the burners in the furnace won’t light, call us to see if the electronic ignition system needs to be replaced. This is a straightforward repair for us—but not for amateurs, so please leave the work to professionals.

This is a problem that applies to electric furnaces. The heating elements are the parts of the furnace that warm up as electric current runs through them and then heats the air. There are multiple heating elements, but if one of them fails or the sequencer that controls when they turn on malfunctions, the furnace’s heating capacity will drop. The element will need professionals to replace it.

The furnace can overheat, and when this happens, a limit switch located on the plenum will activate and shut off the system. There are multiple possible reasons for this overheating, and you’ll want professionals to investigate to find out where the fault is. Don’t try to keep running the furnace if the limit switch shuts it off!

This is the most serious gas furnace trouble, although it’s one that maintenance will usually catch. If the heat exchanger develops cracks because of corrosion or stress, it can allow toxic combustion gas fumes to escape into the air sent into your house, which is extremely dangerous. If you hear the furnace making clicking noises soon after the blower fan shuts off, it may be a cracked heat exchanger. Shut off the furnace and call for technicians to inspect the system.

You Comfort Is Vital … so always call on Vital Heating & Air when it’s in trouble! We are your licensed Indianapolis HVAC contractor.