Answering A Couple Of Common Questions About Maintaining Your Heating System

For many homeowners, keeping the house warm requires the furnace to be working at peak efficiency. Unfortunately, these devices can encounter some problems that can leave your home feeling very cold. Despite the importance of the furnace, there are many homeowners that have little to no knowledge or experience with these devices, which can lead them to need the following couple of questions answered. 

What Causes The Furnace To Overheat?

An overheating furnace is a problem that can be extremely frustrating because it will likely cause the furnace to repeatedly turn off for extended periods of time while it cools off. In addition to making your home colder, this problem can also expose it to the risk of a fire starting. Fortunately, this problem is often relatively simple to correct because it may be stemming from poor airflow. 

Dust and dirt will accumulate on the air filter and around the exterior vents. Eventually, this will become thick enough to prevent air from passing through, which can prevent the unit from venting any excess heat. To address this problem, you should clean or change the air filter and remove any dust from the exterior vents. If this fails to address the problem, the issue may be electrical in nature, and you will need to have professional help to safely repair this problem. 

Does The Thermostat Require Maintenance?

When it comes to maintaining the heating system, many new homeowners make the mistake of assuming that the only work that needs to be done is on the furnace itself. However, the thermostat is a critical component of your heating system, and it requires regular care to keep it working properly. 

Dust and dander will accumulate on the interior of the thermostat, and this can interfere with its ability to accurately measure the air temperature. This can result in the furnace failing to activate when the temperature drops too low or failing to turn it off when the desired temperature is reached. To clean your thermostat, you will need to remove the front panel and use a can of compressed air to remove any dust that is present. 

Without proper maintenance, you may find that your home's heating system is far more vulnerable to malfunctions and inefficiencies. Yet, this is a topic that many homeowners may overlook, which can lead to major problems with the system when they need it the most. By understanding why your furnace is overheating and the importance of keeping the thermostat clean, you should be better able to ensure your home stays comfortable throughout the winter months. To find out more information, speak with a company like Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC.


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