When it is cold outside and your heater is not functioning properly, it can be difficult to find the silver lining to that cloud. This is especially true when winter is just getting going and your heater is not working the way it should be. The truth is this is sort of for the best, though. It’s not getting any warmer any time soon, so you may as well find out now that your heater is not in the great shape necessary to get you through the winter season.
When your heater exhibits any signs of trouble, even early in the season, it is time for prompt HVAC services in Alexandria, VA. The last thing you want to do is to continue running your heater despite the fact that it is not in great working condition. Doing so will only make matters worse, putting your comfort and even your safety (!) in jeopardy. Here are some signs it’s time to call in the pros.
Loud Sounds Are Annoying (But Not Just Annoyances!)
Some people have a higher tolerance than others for unusual or annoying sounds. Just because you can drown out any weird noises that your heater is making doesn’t mean that you should just be drowning them out, however. In fact, we’ll go so far as to say you should never handle strange heating sounds that way!
Hear a hissing noise? It could be air leaking out of damaged ducts. It could even be a refrigerant leak. Screeching? You could have a fan belt on its way out. It’s simple to replace but, once broken, renders your forced air heater inoperable. Clanging and banging? Could be a loose motor mount, bent fan blades, or any number of components getting banged up.
Is Your Home Heating Up, But Not Evenly?
It is incredibly frustrating to walk through your home and realize that you are not equally comfortable in each area. There are a few reasons why you may encounter such problems. Not all of them are directly related to your heater, either. It could be that a given area of your home has poor insulation or the windows have leaks in the frames.
But you could again be looking at leaky ductwork. If your heater is too small, then it is not going to generate enough heat to effectively warm your home throughout. That would require a heater upgrade, unfortunately. The best thing to do is to call in our team to have the problem accurately diagnosed. We can move forward with the appropriate fix from there.
Is Your Heater Short Cycling?
It’d be nice if we could set a new temperature at the thermostat and then have that alteration made instantly. Unfortunately, this type of instant gratification is just not possible. Your heater has to run for a bit to bring temperatures up. And it should do so in even, full cycles.
If your heater is running in short bursts, there is a problem. It may be related to your thermostat or thermocouple. Maybe your heat pump has a refrigerant leak. Again, an accurate and professional diagnosis is the first step toward ensuring that the right problem is addressed in the right way.