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Winters in New England really can bring a picturesque image to mind, and it is an image that the reality of snow-covered hills can often fulfill. As beautiful as winter in this part of the country may be, however, your overall enjoyment of it is going to depend upon a number of factors. Your commute, a good pair of boots, and, of course, the overall performance quality of your home heating system. If your heater is not functioning properly, no amount of idyllic scenery is going to make winter enjoyable.
The key to avoiding discomfort during the winter season is not to guarantee that your heater cannot and will not encounter operational problems. That level of reliability is simply impossible for any mechanical system. Rather, it is to recognize the signs of trouble with your heater early on, so that you can schedule prompt heating repairs. The sooner that you do so with the Norwalk, CT HVAC professionals on our team, the better off your heater and your comfort will be.
Keep an Eye on Your Bills
Okay, so you want to catch problems with your heater early on. So just wait for it to break down or start blowing cool air out of the ducts, right? Wrong! There are a number of warning signs that will likely start to raise red flags before such dramatic issues arise. You just need to know what it is that you’re on the lookout for. Keeping an eye on energy/utility costs is a good place to start.
If you have been in the same home and using the same heater for some time, then you probably have a decent idea of how much it costs to heat your house. Even if you are using a new heater, you’d probably notice if energy/fuel costs really started to spike. Such inexplicable rises in the expense associated with heating your home suggest that there is a problem of some kind negatively affecting the system’s energy efficiency.
Keep Your Ears Alert, Too
It happens more than it should. A homeowner starts to hear strange sounds coming from his or her heating system, but ignores those irregularities because it seems like the heater is still successfully heating the house. Well, that may be the case. However, it probably won’t be for much longer.
As the homeowner, you know what types of sounds your heating system makes. Any unusual sounds, such as screeching, grinding, clanging, or booming, could suggest any number of problems with your heater. By having the situation assessed and resolved by a trained professional immediately, you can avoid relatively benign annoyances—broken belts—or more serious trouble—delayed ignition, unbalanced blower wheel, and so on.
Short Cycling? Big Trouble!
Short cycling is a problem that we’ve mentioned on this blog before. It may happen with a heater or an air conditioner, and it is never a good sign. Whole-house heating systems are supposed to run in full, measured cycles. If your system is starting and stopping very frequently, then it is short cycling instead.
This could be due to a very dirty air filter, which is a problem that you can resolve on your own. However, it could also be a problem with a faulty thermostat, a refrigerant leak in a heat pump, or some other serious malfunction. A short cycling heater drives up energy costs, reduces comfort levels, and puts serious wear and tear on the system. Don’t ignore the problem, as it will only get worse.
Contact Celco Heating and Air Conditioning for your home heating service needs.
