Hello, my name is Darby Aldrich. I would like to talk to you about the importance of maintaining your air conditioning system. When I moved to a hot climate, I did not realize how vital having a running air conditioner was for living comfortably. When the unit just stopped working one day, the temperature inside the house rivaled the piping hot weather outdoors. We had to go to the community center to keep the kids from feeling sick. While we were gone, we had a local HVAC contractor fix the unit. She let us know that some simple maintenance tasks would prevent that situation in the future. I will use this site to closely explore those tasks in great detail. I hope you can use the information to keep your air conditioner running like new. Thanks.
It is almost springtime, so if your furnace has not been working its best, you might figure you'll just run it into the ground and then worry about replacing it next fall. Sometimes, this is a smart and money-saving strategy. But there are times when continuing to use an ailing furnace is not a smart or safe idea. Here are four such instances:
Your carbon monoxide alarm has been going off.
Hopefully, you have a carbon monoxide alarm placed low on the wall on the floor where your furnace is located. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, poisonous gas that is released whenever fuel is burned. When your furnace is working properly, the gas will be released outdoors, but if your furnace is ailing, the gas might build up inside. If your carbon monoxide alarm has been going off, don't risk it. Turn off the furnace and call your HVAC professional for repairs, even if there are only 2 weeks left in the heating season.
You smell a formaldehyde odor.
Some homeowners notice a weird, chemical-like odor that reminds them or preservatives or formaldehyde when their furnace starts acting up. This scent typically indicates that the heat exchanger is broken. The scent itself is not that of carbon monoxide, but since carbon monoxide is often released when the heat exchanger cracks, this is not an issue you should ignore. Heat exchanger cracks are a pretty common, life-ending problem for old furnaces.
The furnace keeps tripping the circuit breaker.
Tripping the circuit breaker once might just be a coincidence. But if this happens again and again, there may be an issue with the electrical system in your furnace. This could lead to an electrical fire if you keep using the furnace, so turn it off and call for repairs sooner rather than later.
The house is getting colder and colder.
One day, the house only gets to 64 degrees. The next, it only makes it up to 62. This indicates that the furnace is failing quickly, and it will probably fail completely at any moment. You may figure you can go without heat through the rest of spring, but there are always surprise super-cold days. Without heat, your pipes may freeze -- so having your furnace repaired or replaced is your safest option.
Sometimes, you can push an ailing furnace for a few more months, but in the instances above, you'll need to be more cautious. Talk to a heating specialist to learn more.
Share14 February 2019
