Most homes in the Anaheim, CA area use forced-air furnaces for heat, typically gas-fed furnaces fueled by links to the civic gas line. They’re safe and effective, but electric furnaces can serve much the same function, and depending upon the needs of your home, might prove a better fit for you than a gas system will. If you’re looking at getting a new furnace in the spring, or your old furnace has suffered a sudden breakdown and a new furnace is required immediately, you should consider the benefits an electric furnace can bring. (more…)
JC Mechanical Inc. Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Furnaces’
Is an Electric Furnace Right for You?
Monday, January 16th, 2017Common Furnace Repairs
Monday, February 16th, 2015Furnaces are among the most common home heating systems in the country, which also happens to mean that they have some of the most common issues. It’s always a good idea to have at least a passing familiarity with the kinds of issues that can affect your heating system. Since furnaces are so popular, let’s take a look at some of their common issues that require repair.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is the name for when your furnace rapidly cycles on and off over a short period of time. It is caused by a small device called the “furnace limit switch,” which monitors the temperature inside the furnace. When the internal furnace temperature gets too high, the limit switch activates and shuts down the system to prevent damage from overheating. Unfortunately, this is only a stop-gap measure. If the source of the overheating problem isn’t fixed, the furnace will overheat every time it turns on and the limit switch will keep shutting it down.
This kind of behavior is very bad for the furnace, inflicting a lot of extra strain on the system and increasing the chances of a breakdown. If you notice this behavior, you should call a professional as soon as possible.
Failure to Start
Furnaces that completely fail to start are having problems with their ignition systems. In older furnaces, this was caused by the standing pilot light blowing out. Without the flame from the pilot light, the furnace would have no way to ignite the fuel and start the burners to power the system. Newer furnaces use electronic systems instead of gas flames, often relying on an electrode to create a spark and start the system. These systems won’t blow out, like the standing pilot flames. However, they can still burn out over time, often needing to be replaced.
Air Handler Failure
The air handler is the section of the furnace that is responsible for circulating air through the house. The effort of moving that much air over such distances places a lot of strain on the various parts in the air handler. This is especially true with the air handler motor, which is equipped with lubricated bearings to help lessen the stress during operation. The bearings can wear down over time, however, slowly increasing the friction on the air handler motor until it overheats and burns itself out. If you hear a grinding noise coming from your furnace, that’s the sound of the bearings failing. Call a professional immediately or your motor may burn out.
If your furnace is having problems, call JC Mechanical Inc. to schedule an appointment. We offer professional furnace services in the Yorba Linda area.