It only takes an Arctic blast to realize that your home’s furnace can’t keep up with the worst that winter in Shawnee, KS can deliver. If you’re worried that your furnace isn’t up to the job, the good news is that there are ways to deal with it. Here is a look at why this happens and what you can do if your home’s furnace struggles to handle the worst of winter in this region.
Air Filters
Replacing the air filter is one of the easiest and most cost-effective solutions. A severely clogged air filter can decrease furnace efficiency by 30-50%. This is because furnaces, especially the natural gas-fueled ones that are common in this area, need oxygen to operate as efficiently as possible. A clogged filter starves the system of oxygen, reducing its performance and efficiency.
Many people are familiar with the three-month filter replacement schedule and stick to it. However, you may want to investigate replacing the filter on a one-month schedule. This is particularly important if you have pets or other threats to air quality in your home.
Ductwork
Another area where a system can suffer downright crushing performance losses is its ductwork. Leaky ducts can lead to efficiency losses of 25-40% by letting heated air out into locations that need the least heating. Likewise, the loss of pressure from a leaky duct system can discourage airflow from getting where it’s needed.
Sealing the ducts is the simplest and quickest solution. You may also want to relocate ducts that run too close to outside walls, since they may also be cooling the heated air.
Registers and Returns
Your home’s HVAC registers and returns can limit your airflow. Check every year before winter starts to verify that both the vents and the cold-air returns are open. The only reason to close a register or return is to zone off part of the HVAC system. You might want to zone off a spare bedroom that’s rarely in use. However, be aware that the cold air that develops in the less-heated space may lead to drafts. In many cases, the best solution is to see that the system flows as freely as possible.
Dampers
The same problem occurs with dampers inside the duct system. Many dampers serve to control airflow, especially in areas that might get a lot of air. For instance, your living room might be a lot closer to the furnace than your bedroom. Someone in the past may have set up a damper to reduce heavy heating airflows in the living room. However, the damper can start to close on its own, potentially restricting airflow.
Thermostat Placement
Your thermostat’s placement can lead to problems. A thermostat that’s too close or far from a register can have trouble figuring out what the current temperature in your home actually is. For example, there might be a vent directly under the thermostat that’s blowing heat onto the sensor. This can convince the thermostat that your house is heated much faster than it actually is. Consequently, the heating cycle cuts short and doesn’t warm the entirety of your home.
Moving the thermostat is a common solution. Another approach is to set up additional sensors throughout the house and then connect them to the thermostat. Many smart thermostats support wireless connectivity, so retrofitting these models with sensors is fairly straightforward. With a better picture of the true temperature situation throughout your house, the thermostat can make better decisions about when to end a heating cycle. The net effect is a more evenly heated and comfortable house.
Furnace Size
Undersized and oversized furnaces can lead to problems. Particularly, an undersized furnace will likely struggle to keep up with your household’s heating demand. This only gets worse on the coldest nights of the year.
Oversized furnaces also lead to some surprising behavior. An oversized furnace may have enough capacity that it saturates the thermostat with heat quickly. This causes a shorter overall heating cycle, which leaves distant parts of your home cooler than expected.
While every furnace suffers efficiency drops over a lifetime, a strained system’s efficiency will collapse sooner. Overall, the furnace will run worse and leave your house less comfortable on the nights you need heat the most.
Lack of System Maintenance
Many people treat their home’s heating system as a case where something is out of sight and therefore out of mind. Especially as long as the heater seems to work fine, they overlook the need for basic maintenance. This includes things like lubricating moving parts, particularly the blower motor and any belts that drive the system. Likewise, a neglected furnace can develop carbon buildup on the burners and its internal sensors. Carbon buildup reduces gas flow and also makes it harder for the control unit to keep the heat within specifications.
Annual furnace checkups also spot major problems that could lead to poor performance and even safety issues. For example, a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger will suffer significant heating losses through the cracks. Worse, such a system is likely to vent exhaust gases into your home’s living spaces.
Corrosion can also develop inside the combustion chamber. Burners and pilot lights can develop corrosion. Sometimes, the solution is as simple as cleaning both the burners and the pilot light.
Age
Every homeowner wants to make their furnace last as long as possible to avoid spending money on a new installation. Aging furnaces, however, suffer from declining efficiency and performance. A 30-year-old furnace might have been a high-efficiency system in its heyday, but it could now operate worse than a new standard-efficiency system.
The industry standard is to replace an aging furnace in the 15-20 year range. Even with diligent maintenance, a furnace this old will start struggling to keep up on the worst winter nights in Shawnee.
With more than four decades of experience in the HVAC industry, Air Care Heating & Cooling has earned the trust of folks who live in Shawnee and the surrounding areas. We are highly rated on Angi, and our NATE-certified HVAC techs are ready to answer all your questions. We perform repairs on all makes and models of furnaces and would also be happy to assist with maintenance needs or install a new unit. Our company even provides 24/7 emergency service, including holidays.
Work quality matters at Air Care Heating & Cooling. We also make a point of always treating our customers like family. If you’re worried about the cost of putting in a new system, we have financing available upon credit approval.
Shawnee’s winter nights can be rough, so contact Air Care Heating & Cooling right away if you’re worried that your furnace can’t keep up.
