Winter is Coming – Does the Furnace in Your Rochester, NY Home Need Repair?

Your Rochester, NY home is your castle – and with winter approaching, you’ll want to know that your home is safe from that Northern intruder, Old Man Winter. The best line of defense you have against the bone-chilling weather is your home’s furnace. When it’s working properly, you know you and your family will stay safe and warm within the walls of your home all winter long. But if it’s on the fritz, you might be headed for a furnace breakdown, which might lead to an attack – on your wallet.

Don’t play games when it comes to your furnace – knowing what telltale signs to look for will help you know if furnace repairs are needed in your Rochester, NY home. Angie’s List provides some signs of furnace trouble that mean you’ll need an HVAC expert like the professionals at John Betlem Heating & Cooling to get you up and running effectively, efficiently and most importantly, safely.

Constant Running: A furnace that runs non-stop is a furnace that isn’t working properly. There are a number of factors that could cause the furnace in your Rochester, NY home to run at full tilt, which includes problems with your thermostat, your air seal, or the furnace itself. And, furnaces that keep turning on and off, or only run for a few minutes, need the attention of an expert. Sometimes, it’s a simple issue with your air filter or venting, but it could also be due to your furnace’s inner workings.

Not Heating: Clearly, the main function of a furnace is to produce heat. If the furnace in your Rochester, NY home is not producing any heat, there is definitely a problem. First you’ll want to check your circuit breakers and on-off switches, and if they’re all in good working order, then you’ll need to make a service call.

Smelly Furnace: When you first turn your furnace on for the season, it’s normal if it emits a musty scent. However, if after running for a while that smell continues, you probably need a filter change. And, any time you smell a burning odor, you need to shut down the equipment and call a professional. Most importantly, if you smell gas, you could be in a dangerous situation – exit your home immediately and call your fire department to investigate.

Carbon Monoxide Detected: You can’t smell it, taste it or see it – so if your CO detector goes off, believe it. This is also one of those situations where you’ll want to get out of your home and call a professional. If your CO detector goes off, open as many doors and windows as you can, exit your home, and call John Betlem Heating & Cooling to help. Remaining in your home with CO present can be deadly.

Noisy Furnace: Banging, clanging, screeching, popping, grinding – none of these are normal furnace sounds. They indicate something inside your furnace is malfunctioning. You may need to replace a component like your motor, but no matter what the outcome, a loud furnace is a furnace that needs to be seen by a pro.

High Utility Bills: Does your utility bill go through the roof as soon as you turn on your furnace? That could be a good indication that you need furnace repair in your Rochester, NY home. Obviously, your bill will increase once you need to run your home heating equipment, but if you notice extreme spikes in cost, especially if your company didn’t raise rates, then you could be dealing with a furnace problem.

Better heating for your Rochester, NY home doesn’t have to be an epic battle – just call John Betlem Heating & Cooling. We can help you get the furnace repair services you need so that your castle is a haven of comfort. Call us 585.326.4767 and we will be more than happy to help you with your furnace repair needs.