When the temperature plummets, you need a functional heater in your Zebulon, NC home. Whether you rely on a furnace or a heat pump for heating, preventive maintenance can help you avoid mid-season emergencies. Discover North Carolina’s most common mid-winter HVAC failures and learn how to prevent them.
Pilot Light Problems
For Zebulon homeowners with older gas furnaces, faulty pilot lights are among the most common causes of startup trouble. If your pilot light won’t stay lit, your furnace might be in a naturally drafty location. If it’s in the basement or garage, cool drafts could blow its pilot light out every time someone opens or closes a nearby door.
Even having too many closed air registers throughout your home can cause pilot light problems. Multiple closed air vents create a vacuum effect that extinguishes pilot flames.
If you skipped pre-season maintenance, your furnace may have a dirty thermocouple instead. This temperature-sensing safety device blocks the flow of gas when it can’t detect an active flame. When thermocouples have accumulated soot, dirt, or lint, they can’t read temperatures accurately.
Although some modern furnaces have pilot lights, many of the latest models feature ignition switches instead. These starting mechanisms are safer, more efficient, and less likely to cause startup failures. If you have an older gas furnace with a pilot light, you can avoid mid-season HVAC emergencies with professional tune-up service or by replacing it.
Faulty Ignition Switches
Despite being safer, more efficient, and less prone to problems, the electronic ignition switches in modern furnaces can still malfunction. To prevent natural gas leaks in the event of failed ignition, electronic ignition switches have flame sensors. Flame sensors confirm startup and keep gas flowing. When you skip pre-season maintenance, buildup on your furnace’s flame sensor can keep it from starting up. If your gas furnace won’t turn on or can’t enter a heating cycle, this may be why.
Faulty Reversing Valves
Many Zebulon locals use heat pumps for year-round climate control. As a result, these appliances don’t get much time off. While furnaces and air conditioners require tune-up service just once each year, hard-working heat pumps often need it twice annually.
In the summer, heat pumps are functionally identical to AC units. But in the winter, they have internal reversing valves that reverse the flow of their refrigerant. Rather than extracting indoor heat and funneling it outside, they bring outside heat indoors. Your heat pump’s reversing valve kicks into action based on changes in your indoor temperature and your thermostat setting. If your indoor temperature drops but your heat pump never starts heating, it may have a jammed or broken reversing valve.
Clogged Condensate Drains
Clogged condensate drains are a common problem among heat pumps that don’t receive adequate maintenance. During cooling cycles and when operating in dry mode, heat pumps extract excess moisture from the air and funnel it outdoors via their condensate drains. When heating, heat pumps don’t provide humidity control, and their condensate drains often lie damp and dormant. This makes them the perfect breeding ground for algae, bacteria, and fungi in the winter. Thick, slimy buildup in condensate drains can lead to problems such as:
- Insufficient heating
- Rising humidity
- Short cycling
- Overheating
- Unexpected shutdowns
Clogged heat pump condensate drains can cause rank, musty odors, louder-than-normal performance, and pooling water near air handlers. Diminished performance can also make heat pumps work harder and use more energy. As a result, homeowners may notice significant increases in their energy bills.
During heat pump service, HVAC technicians inspect and thoroughly clean condensate drains. They also disinfect drain lines, drains, and drain pans to prevent fungal and bacterial growth, clogs, and odors.
Condensing Furnaces
High-efficiency furnaces have condensate drains, too. While these appliances don’t regulate indoor humidity while heating, they do extract the moisture that’s produced during fuel combustion. If you have rising humidity levels, insufficient heat, or problems with short cycling, your condensing furnace could have a dirty condensate drain.
Dirty Coils
Heat pumps heat and cool building interiors by transferring heat, and their evaporator and condenser coils act as their heat exchangers. Built-up debris on these components can cause heat pumps to short-cycle, ice over, or overheat. The best way to prevent dirty coils is by having your heat pump professionally tuned. When performing heat pump maintenance, HVAC technicians carefully clean evaporator and condenser coils. They also check for potential causes of substantial coil buildup, such as refrigerant leaks.
Dirty Burners
To produce heat, furnace burners mix air and fuel and then ignite this mixture. Insufficient heat, short cycling, and dry, burnt odors are all signs of dirty burners. Longer and less effective heating cycles and discolored burner flames are also indicators of built-up debris. Both your furnace’s burner flames and its pilot flames should always be bright blue. Yellow or orange flames are a sign of incomplete fuel combustion.
Faulty Blower Motors
Does your furnace or heat pump keep tripping its circuit breaker? Does your HVAC system often overheat? The problem could be with your heater’s blower motor. This motor powers the blower fan that moves air throughout your heating system. Loose bearings, bent fan blades, and other structural problems can lead to loud banging, clanging, or rattling sounds as well as weak airflow.
During HVAC maintenance, your technician will inspect your blower motor, tighten loose components, and replace worn parts. HVAC technicians also lubricate all moving parts for smooth, efficient, and quiet operation.
Failed Capacitors
At startup and throughout active heating cycles, both furnaces and heat pumps use more energy than residential electrical systems can supply. Capacitors solve this problem by constantly harnessing and storing electricity. They then use their stored energy to power heating systems through these high-demand activities. You might have a failed capacitor if your HVAC unit frequently trips its breaker. If your heater turns on but can’t initiate or complete a heating cycle, this may indicate a failed capacitor as well.
Blocked Exhaust Vents
All gas-fired appliances produce carbon monoxide (CO) and other harmful emissions as byproducts of incomplete combustion. They route these emissions out of houses via exhaust vents. To protect homeowners from CO exposure, HVAC systems will turn themselves off whenever exhaust vents develop blockages. During maintenance and repair services, HVAC technicians check for blocked exhaust vents, crushed or collapsed vent sections, and in-vent pests.
Poor Airflow
There are many possible causes of insufficient airflow. If you have weak airflow, start by checking your HVAC unit’s air filter. All of the air that enters your heat pump or furnace must pass through this component. When filters have a thick buildup of lint-like debris, airflow inevitably declines.
When residents close air vents to redirect heated air, the static pressure in the ducting increases. This increase inhibits airflow. HVAC duct leaks can also decrease the amount of heated air that flows from your vents. Leaky ducts can deposit heated air in basements, garages, crawlspaces, or behind drywall and other building materials. Age, pests, and accidental impact damage caused to exposed ducting are common culprits of HVAC air duct leaks.
Schedule Preventative Maintenance Today
You can avoid these and other common HVAC failures with regular, professional maintenance. Proudly serving Zebulon and the surrounding communities, Landen Heating and Cooling is a top choice for pre-season tune-ups and mid-winter repairs. With free estimates, ongoing specials, and highly trained technicians on our team, you can count on us to get the job done right! For expert heat pump or furnace maintenance in Zebulon, contact Landen Heating and Cooling today.
