The purpose of having a central heating system is to deliver warm, cozy air to all the living space. The standard furnace achieves this through a network of ducts branching out from the furnace and a powerful blower fan to push the warm air along the channels to vents. Although there will be some fluctuations in temperatures, a well-installed central furnace shouldn’t have trouble getting an even heating level to most of the house.
You probably arrived at this blog because your furnace isn’t doing this. It used to, but now when it fires up during the winter, you’re discovering cold spots around the house and rooms that aren’t receiving the comfort they need. What’s happening? We’ll explain some of the possible causes and what you can do about them.
A dirty air filter
Clogged air filters are a common cause of numerous furnace problems, which is why we always stress the importance for customers to stay on top of changing the filter with strict regularity. (Depending on the strength of the filter, it needs to be changed every 1 to 3 months.) A dirty air filter prevents enough air from moving into the furnace and then to the rest of the house, and this will create uneven heating.
Faulty thermostat
A thermostat that’s reading incorrect temperatures can cause a furnace to shut off too early. (The reverse can also occur, causing a home to get too hot.) If your thermostat is detecting that your house is warmer than it really is, it will turn the furnace off before it has time to evenly distribute enough heat. This is a simple issue for repair technicians to remedy.
Leaking air ducts
Sometimes the trouble with your home heating isn’t from the heater itself, but the air ducts transporting the warm air to the rooms. Air ducts can develop air leaks that allow the heated air to escape before they reach the rooms. These air leaks will affect more than individual rooms: they’ll cause a drop in air pressure inside the ventilation system that will harm the energy efficiency of the furnace. You can’t repair this on your own with duct tape (which isn’t even designed for ducts despite its name); you’ll need to have our technicians test the ducts and then seal them using special equipment.
Short-cycling
This is a malfunction with a furnace where it shuts off before completing a regular heating cycle. Your furnace should stay on for about 15 minutes or more when you run it. If it begins to shut down early only to turn back on again soon after, it will disrupt the heating patterns in your home. Short-cycling also wastes significant amounts of power and can cause the furnace to wear down rapidly, so please call HVAC technicians to look into the issue and see what they can do about it with heating repair in Hillsboro, OH.
Aging furnace
If your furnace is older than 15 years, uneven heating is often an indication that the system is beginning to die. Most furnaces won’t last far past 15 years, so when you notice your heating is on the decline, it’s a good idea to schedule heating service with our team to see if it’s time for a new furnace.