Now that winter has arrived in southwest Ohio, how’s your furnace working? If you’re starting to wonder why your house feels chilly this winter, the problem could be your heating system.
Following are a few reasons why the furnace may not be effectively heating your home:
Your home isn’t properly weatherized.
A home with significant air leakage in its outer envelope and/or insufficient insulation won’t hold the heat. Your furnace will cycle on and off constantly, wasting energy, stressing parts, and providing uneven heating. If the lack of heat is a new issue this winter, this probably isn’t your problem, since it would have been an issue last winter, too. Whatever the case, proper air sealing and insulation are necessary for optimum furnace operation.
Your furnace hasn’t been maintained.
A furnace that doesn’t receive annual professional maintenance may struggle to satisfy the thermostat setting. Likewise, something as simple as regular air filter changes (which you can do as a homeowner) can improve heating efficiency and performance. Inspect the filter monthly and change when it looks clogged. Invest in a higher-efficiency filter to help with heating and indoor air quality.
Malfunctioning equipment, either the furnace or thermostat.
If you have an old or defective heating system, that can reduce heating effectiveness. If you had a maintenance visit recently, the technician should have spotted this type of problem. If your furnace is older than 12-15 years, it might be nearing the end of its useful service life. Problems with heating performance, as well as frequent breakdowns, signal it’s time to consider an upgrade.
A faulty air distribution system.
If objects (rugs, drapes, furniture, boxes, etc.) are covering heating registers, the warm air can’t circulate into your rooms. Likewise, if the ducts are leaking or otherwise defective, heating system airflow can be impeded. You may have a state-of-the art furnace but it won’t do you much good if air isn’t arriving at its intended destination.
If your Dayton area home’s heating system isn’t doing the job this winter, and you can’t troubleshoot the issue yourself, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
