If you notice any of these three signs or a combination thereof, don’t delay in getting a technician to take a look. With each sign, we’ll explain what to look for and how it can affect you.
1. An Orange-Colored Pilot Light or Other Signs of a Carbon-Monoxide Leak
What to look for: If your pilot light looks orange to yellow in color, you may have a carbon-monoxide gas leak. Other signs of carbon-monoxide leaks are streaks of soot around your furnace and excess condensation around windows in your home. Turn off your heat and call right away if you notice this telltale sign with the pilot light. Most utility companies add a sulfur compound to help you detect a gas leak, so if you can also smell something like rotten eggs, you have some gas leakage.
How it can affect you: Carbon-monoxide poisoning takes the lives of about 400 Americans per year, reports the CDC. And over 20,000 people per year visit the emergency room for carbon-monoxide related symptoms. This is the kind of high-risk sign your heater needs a leak repaired, and for safety, it shouldn’t go ignored.
2. Strange Clangs and Bangs from the Furnace
What to listen for: Know what your furnace should sound like on a day to day basis. If you notice an unusual change that lasts for more than a few minutes, stay alert and call if it continues within the next day.
How it can affect you: While it’s normal to hear a small amount of noises from your heater as it works to heat or cool air around your home, if you start noticing louder or unusual sounds, you might have a mechanical issue. With normal wear and use, sometimes parts within the heating unit get dislodged. If caught early, a technician can easily move parts back in place, check and adjust settings, and lubricate them to make sure your heater is back to normal. If you leave these problems to get worse over time, your heating and cooling bills will go up as the furnace works harder to push past an obstruction or works overtime with improperly connected parts. You also risk full furnace failure or a problem happening outside of the warranty period, when a replacement could be already covered for you if your furnace unexpectedly malfunctions.
3. Rising Utility Bill Costs
What to look for: Higher energy bills. We all know heating and cooling a home is expensive, in fact, keeping a home comfortably heated or cooled with air conditioning account for more than half of the energy costs in the home.
How it can affect you: If your energy bill unexpectedly goes up, especially over a several month long period compared to previous years, your furnace may be on its way to breakdown or in need of a tune-up. Having a technician take a look helps you keep repair costs down by addressing the issue early if something is causing your heating system to work less efficiently. It also will help you avoid paying more than you have to for energy bills each month.
Keeping a keen eye on your heater’s function can help you avoid breakdowns and expensive repairs and also extend the life of your furnace. At Albany Mechanical, we’re ready to help.
Set up your heater repair service in Green Island, NY by calling us at 518-273-5541.