Having a working furnace is essential what with the weather brewing colder temperatures outdoors. However, sometimes furnaces can falter when they’ve been inactive during the summer. This is especially true if they haven’t been tuned up efficiently for the colder weather.

One of the most common problems homeowners often face with their furnace is called short cycling. Short cycling is when the furnace turns on for a short period of time but then turns off. This start-and-stop cycle can keep your home from properly warming up and may also damage your furnace itself.

But what causes your furnace to short cycle? The following are some of the key problems behind the short cycling of furnaces and how you can fix them.

Your furnace is too big
Short cycling that happens as soon as the furnace is installed may be caused by the furnace itself rather than a problem with the furnace. That is, the furnace may be too big or too strong for the space in which you’ve installed it.

An oversized heater will use a lot of energy to heat your space, which can cause the distribution of warm air in your home to be uneven. Uneven heat distribution causes the furnace to turn on and off again in order to compensate.

Contact your furnace repair service before assuming the problem with your furnace is its size. While it may be the cause, there could be another problem with the device.

Your furnace is overheating
Another common cause of a short cycling furnace is that the furnace itself is overheating and it’s turning itself off to prevent damage. An overheating furnace can be caused by restricted airflow. This causes the hot air in the furnace to become trapped. Restricted airflow is often the result of interior vents being blocked, a blocked exhaust vent, or a dirty air filter.

If your furnace is overheating, it’s essential for you to contact your furnace repair service immediately. This is because cracks can occur in the heat exchanger of the furnace when the machine overheats. Heat exchanger cracks can result in carbon monoxide leaks, which are life-threatening to both you and your family. For this reason, the carbon monoxide alarms in your home should be tested at least once a month.

Your thermostat is malfunctioning
Finally, another common cause of a short cycling furnace isn’t your furnace at all. When your thermostat malfunctions, it can signal to your furnace that the set temperature in the room has been met, causing the furnace to prematurely turn off.

A short cycling furnace can cause your home heating system to break down prematurely, which can be a big problem during the winter months. If your furnace is short cycling and you can’t seem to get the problem under control, contact the heating contractors at a professional furnace repair service today.

With cold weather fast approaching, your furnace should be tuned up and ready to go. However, even after your heating contractor tunes up the furnace and installs clean filters, you can experience issues. This is especially true if your furnace is heating your home but you’re not feeling the heat.

Improper equipment installation can cause your home’s heating to decline in efficiency by up to 30%. But another cause for a decline in heating efficiency could very well be your own house. Common in multi-story homes, this heat-stealing problem is known as the “stack effect.”

What is stack effect?

The stack effect is most common in commercial buildings and large, multi-story warehouses. However, it can also affect two-story houses. The stack effect is, essentially, when the home acts as a chimney would by grabbing the warm air and hoisting it upward toward the highest ceiling until it leaves the home.

This effect typically happens when the outside temperature is significantly lower than the temperature inside the building because the cold air is more dense. Therefore, the air attempts to balance the density between the two areas. This can cause airflow in your home with an especially intense draft. The stack effect becomes a problem when your heating system loses its efficiency and your utility bill racks up in an attempt to keep the warm air in.

How can I stop stack effect from happening?

Stack effect happens because your home has a place at the highest point of the house where the warm air can escape. The best way to keep this from happening is through insulation. The most important area to insulate is the space between your top floor and your attic. Once the warm air reaches your attic, it’ll escape through the smallest of cracks or air ducts. Therefore, while it’s important to ensure you have proper insulation throughout your house, it’s the attic you need to pay the most attention to.

If you feel the heat is still escaping from your home after maintaining your insulation, it may be in your best interest to contact your home heating repair services or heating contractor. Your heating contractor will be able to professionally monitor the heat in your home and to figure out just what is causing your heating system’s lack of efficiency and where the insulation in your home may be faulty.

With the leaves starting to change color, it’s time to pull out the furnace for another chilly season. However, depending on how long you’ve had your furnace, you may want to consider installing a new one before winter swipes through.

Old furnaces can be dangerous if they’re not working correctly. According to a survey, up to 28% of residential fires caused by heating was the result of failing to clean solid-fueled heating equipment. To keep you and your family safe and warm with fall and winter approaching, here are the warning signs to begin investing in furnace installation.

Even with furnace repair, your heating system is costing you
One of the biggest signs it may be time for a new furnace is if your heating system isn’t generating enough heat. This can be caused by a number of things including clogged and dirty filters, dust in the air ducts, or even stack effect if you live in a two-story home.

However, if a furnace repair service has looked at your furnace and insulation and determined everything to be working as well as it could be, your furnace may just not be cutting it anymore. Even if you’re not feeling the reduced heat in your home, your utility bill may be unusually high if your furnace is working double-time to keep the temperature warm in your home.

Your furnace has made it to retiring age
Once a furnace has reached the age of 15, it’s in your best interest to begin considering a replacement. With proper maintenance from a furnace repair service and heating contractors, you may have a furnace that can last anywhere between 20 to 30 years. Yet furnaces that last this long aren’t as energy efficient as newer models and there’s a likelihood it’ll be eating into your utility bill.

If you purchased your furnace second hand or if it came with your home, you can find the age of the furnace by looking for the heating system’s label. The label should be located along the bottom within the removable door on the outside of your furnace. The label should contain the furnace model as well as a serial number. Additionally, it may also show the manufacturing date.

With colder weather on its way, choosing to install a new furnace may be in your best interest especially if it’s been proving to be less energy efficient over recent years. For advice on fuel types and heating capacity, you may want the additional assistance of a trained furnace repair service professional when buying a new furnace. For home heating repair you can trust, contact Pioneer Heating and Air today for a consultation.