You depend on your furnace in the midst of winter. It keeps your home warm and comfortable, no matter what it feels like outside. But your furnace isn’t invincible. Without the proper maintenance or know-how, there are several ways that your furnace could fail this year, costing hundreds for the repairs needed to make it operational again. Furnace failures in the middle of winter are inconvenient in the best cases, costly and uncomfortable in the worst cases. Knowing what might cause your furnace to break down this winter can help you to better avoid it.

Thermostat Failure

This first furnace failure is not really a failure of the furnace, but the effects are the same for your home. If your furnace has broken down, it may not prompt your furnace to heat your home...or it may turn the furnace on but not allow it to be turned off. While the former isn’t ideal, it’s the latter that you really have to worry about. Overuse of the furnace can wear it down and cause actual furnace breakage. If your furnace has been on for too long, or your home isn’t heating at all, you’ll want to check the thermostat before you look at the furnace.

Disrupted Gas Line

Gas furnaces remain the most popular types of furnaces, and have their own specific set of issues that could be the cause of a furnace breakdown. One of the biggest issues is gas supply. If something is blocking the furnace’s gas supply, the furnace has nothing to conduct in order to heat your home. Check the pilot light for your furnace. If it’s off, try to turn it on. If you can’t turn it on, it’s probably an issue with the gas line. This is not something for homeowners to take on on their own. Contact an HVAC technician sooner rather than later.

Worn Out Parts

When was the last time you had maintenance done on your furnace? If it’s been a few years, there’s a good chance that some of the essential pieces of the furnace have started to wear down from use, or even from a collection of dust if your filters are clogged. Belts and motors have to be lubricated in order to keep running smoothly, and if they become too stiff, the furnace could break down. It may also be that even a well-maintained furnace is simply past its prime, and thus more prone to breakdowns. If that’s the case, replacing it with a new, more efficient gas furnace may be the option. You may also consider heat pumps as an alternative.

Take care of your furnace this year. If you haven’t had maintenance done on your furnace in some time, now may be the best time to sign up for a preventative maintenance plan to protect you in the future. For repairs, replacement furnaces, or tips on keeping your furnace healthy so it won’t break down in the winter, contact Air Solutions in Bryan-College Station today.