Don't Be Scared By an Overheating Heater This Halloween

Beware Overheating Furnaces 

Fall is here, and that means a couple of things. First, the temperatures have dropped and homeowners are firing up the furnace to keep the home warm on the cool nights. Second, Halloween is coming to kick off the fall season in a spooky manner. Unfortunately for too many homeowners, the biggest scare they will get this season may come from their furnace. 

Of all the things that can go wrong in a home, some are more dangerous than others. Overheating furnaces can be one of the most dangerous problems, so homeowners should learn about the risks they pose and the signs that the furnace is overheating. Here are a few tips from local experts to make the Halloween season a little less spooky for homeowners with furnaces. 

Risks of Overheating Furnaces 

Furnaces are powerful machines that quickly and efficiently heat and distribute air around the home. In most cases, fossil fuels heat the air by combusting and delivering heat to a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to the indoor air inside the home. When they are operating correctly, a furnace is safe, and the risk of overheating is minimal. However, there are common conditions that can cause furnaces to overheat. 

When a furnace overheats, the risks are serious. Some of the consequences of an overheating furnace are: 

• Damage to the heat exchanger 
• Overheated blower motor
• Fires
• Carbon monoxide release 
• Poor warm air circulation around the home 
• Inoperable furnaces lead to unheated homes

Signs That a Furnace is Overheating 

Protecting the home from these risks is vital to the owner's peace of mind. Luckily, furnaces rarely start overheating without giving some signs that trouble is afoot. Learning to recognize these signs is critical to preventing the hazards posed by an overheating furnace, so homeowners should take the time to learn these signs and look for them periodically. 

The common signs that a furnace is overheating are: 

• A burning smell similar to the smell a furnace gives off at the beginning of the cool season
• Humming noises coming from the furnace cabinet
• Short or long cycles
• Emergency shut-offs tripping constantly
• Peeled or bubbled paint near the blower

If these signs are present, a technician should be called immediately to restore good performance and prevent major problems. 

Prevention for an Overheating Furnace 

While worrying about an overheating furnace can be stressful, there are things that homeowners can do to prevent the problem so that it becomes far less likely to become serious. The easiest way to summarize how to prevent an overheating furnace is good heater maintenance. Good heater maintenance is broken down into two important tasks. First, homeowners should schedule heater maintenance with a local professional before the heating season begins. 

The second important step for preventing overheating furnaces is to always keep clean filters in service. Clean air filters allow for the free movement of air through a heater so that heat doesn't back up on the heat exchanger for too long. Always aim to make air filter replacement a priority every three months.  

About AirLux Heating & Cooling

AirLux Heating & Cooling has a comprehensive preventative maintenance service for their customers' peace of mind. They offer the best warranties in the business for installations and repairs. Call today for fast heater service in Niles, MI.

• 
  +