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Signs You Have Furnace Problems

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In the middle of the winter season here in Chicagoland, many furnaces are pulling multiple shifts just to keep up with your home’s heating needs. Furnace problems can often come out of nowhere, but knowing the signs of trouble can help you take quick and decisive action to get your furnace fixed—before it breaks down.

When you encounter furnace problems, contact the experts at King. We offer 24/7 furnace repair here in Oak Forest, Joliet, and surrounding areas.

What are the signs you have furnace problems?

There are four prominent signs that your furnace is on the verge of a breakdown. Here’s what you should be on the lookout for:

1. Your heating bills are constantly increasing

One of the most common and obvious signs your furnace needs repair is that your heating bills are continuously increasing. Poorly maintained furnaces often become less effective and require more energy to run at full capacity. (That’s why a furnace tune-up is so important!)

Be on the lookout for increased utility bills this winter. If your December bills are incredibly high, consider calling our team for a furnace inspection and repair.

2. You hear strange noises from your furnace

Strange noises coming from the furnace is one of the most prominent red flags when it comes to the health of your furnace and heating system. If you hear screeching, popping, humming, or banging sounds coming from your furnace, you probably have furnace problems.

Call an expert right away and get your system checked before it stops working altogether.

3. You smell gas or other strange smells

If you have an older furnace in your home, you should have a working carbon monoxide detector and be on the watch for any gas issues.

Older furnaces have a higher chance of developing a cracked heat exchanger—a fault that has the potential to release deadly carbon monoxide gas into your home. Other furnace problems can lead to gas you can smell. Be vigilant, and—when in doubt—call in the experts.

4. Your furnace isn’t performing to your expectations

You should be able to trust your furnace to keep you and your family warm all winter. If you’re encountering cold spots in your home, a lack of heat at night, or other problems, don’t just settle for poor heating. A heating system that is struggling to keep up with your needs is a heating system in need of repair or replacement.

Furnace problems don’t just go away magically. What’s a minor inconvenience today could turn into a full breakdown during the next blizzard. Call King to schedule a heating tune-up or for repair if you suspect something is wrong.

Here are 5 signs your furnace may be failing and needs to be replaced

Here at King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we understand just how important your furnace is to the comfort and safety of your home. Repairs and scheduled tune-ups are often enough to keep yours running efficiently, but if your furnace is more than 15 years old, these signs may indicate that your furnace either needs to be repaired or replaced.

If you need to upgrade to a new furnace, call King! We offer free in-home estimates on new heating systems here in Chicagoland.

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5 signs your furnace may be failing

Here are the five biggest signs you should call the team at King for a furnace inspection this winter:

1. You hear unfamiliar noises

While most furnaces make some noise when kicking on, if you begin to hear banging, clanging, or grinding that you’ve never heard before, your furnace may be on its last legs. This is usually a sign that the furnace is having to work extra hard to heat your home. Not only could this lead to additional wear-and-tear, but it could hurt your system’s energy efficiency.

2. The pilot light is yellow

A furnace’s pilot light should be a blue, consistent flame. Anything other than this, and especially a yellow flame, is not a good sign. It could be that your furnace is putting out too much dangerous carbon monoxide. You should turn the system off and call King for an inspection—it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to potential carbon monoxide issues.

3. Your home has cold areas

If you begin to notice that some areas of your home never warm up, or that there are some areas that are too hot, the furnace may not be working right. A properly functioning furnace should heat your home evenly; in contrast, one that isn’t running right will leave certain rooms cold and others hot. Even more, if the air blowing from your vents is cold, something is definitely not working correctly.

4. Your heating bill keeps going up

When you open your monthly bill, you likely expect to see a fairly consistent number each time. If that number instead is growing each billing cycle, it could indicate that your heating system is breaking down. Over time, instead of spending more on your bill, it may be time to invest in a new furnace.

5. You’ve spent a lot on recent repairs

Once your furnace has reached between 10-15 years of age, the need for repairs tends to go up. If you find that you are frequently forking over good money to repair your old furnace, it could be a sign that it is failing and needs to be replaced.

Call King for a furnace inspection!

The professional team at King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is here for your heating needs in Oak Forest, Joliet, and Frankfort, IL. If you suspect that your furnace is on the verge of a breakdown because of the reasons listed above, give us a call to schedule an inspection.

Deciding between furnace repair versus replacement

It’s a cold winter night here in the communities south of Chicago. Snow, wind, sleet—we go through it all each winter. Now, your 15-year-old furnace just died, and you’re faced with a crucial decision: do you have the NATE-certified techs at King Heating, Cooling & Plumbing repair your furnace, or do you replace it with a new one? For many homeowners, the furnace repair versus replacement debate is inevitable. But, you don’t have to go it alone.

That’s because King is here for you. We’re heating experts serving Orland Park, Joliet, and Oak Lawn, and we help homeowners with their heating needs—all winter long. We can help you decide between furnace repair versus replacement, and we can offer 24/7 emergency repair service. The techs at King also install new furnaces.

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How do you decide between furnace repair versus replacement?

a word of caution: every furnace and heating system is different, and is in a different situation. This blog post makes generalities about all furnaces, but, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary. The best way to make a decision about furnace repair versus replacement is to give King a call. We’ll send out one of our NATE-certified, expert technicians to inspect your furnace and give you our honest assessment of whether you should have us repair it or have it replaced.

However, if you’re still having trouble making your decision, there’s a few things you should consider.

Energy Costs: It’s a well-known fact that the older the furnace is, the less energy efficient it is. After all, your furnace has run non-stop for multiple Chicago winters in a row, and all that wear-and-tear means that things don’t work like they did when the equipment was new. If you choose to have King repair your old furnace, you may be just having it limp along at higher energy costs than you would have with a new furnace. Over time, those costs can add up.

Repair Costs: Along with being less energy efficient, older furnaces are more prone to breakdowns as parts wear down and stop functioning. While a furnace tune-up from King can help you avoid some problems, breakdowns will only increase in likelihood as your furnace enters its second or third decade of life. Plus, any manufacturer’s warranty you had has probably expired. If repair costs are adding up, consider upgrading to a new furnace.

Home Comfort: Your home’s comfort matters—after all, why even have a furnace if it’s not going to keep you and your family toasty and warm throughout the whole winter? However, an older furnace is going to struggle in this regard, too. On the average, the older a furnace gets, the greater the decline in heating performance. The first symptom is hot and cold spots in the home. A young furnace is much better at keeping a consistent temperature. If you’re debating between furnace repair versus replacement, it’s important to consider your comfort.

For more signs that it’s time to replace your furnace, check out this guide from Energy Star.

Get started on your furnace repair or replacement

Here’s how you should get started. Give King a call and ask us about furnace repair. We offer 24/7 emergency service at no extra charge, so a technician will be at your home in no time. Just talk to us: ask us about furnace repair versus replacement, and we’ll give you some honest advice after we’ve inspected your furnace to assess the damage. At the very least, you’ll have an idea of what replacing your furnace will take; even if you decide to have your furnace repaired that day, you can consider getting a new furnace down the road.

If you do want a new furnace, we’ll arrange a free, in-home estimate with you. Proper furnace installation requires a home measurement so that we can match the size of your home and your family’s energy needs to the right system. King is proud to be a Carrier Factory-Authorized Dealer that carries some of the most advanced furnaces on the market. We also offer financing to customers with approved credit. Our NATE-certified techs are ready to help you reap the benefits of a new furnace.

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4 Valuable Tips For Avoiding Furnace Failure This Winter

The furnace is an essential device that keeps the house warm and comfortable during frigid winter months. A properly working furnace ensures that you do not spend the cold season shivering miserably. In order to ensure that the heating device continues to operate without any problem during the winters, it’s important that you have the system regularly checked by a professional technician to avoid furnace failure.

No one likes the prospect of their furnace breaking down in the middle of the cold season. To avoid this, you should keep in mind certain points that can decrease the chances of an emergency furnace failure.

1. Keep the filters clean

The importance of having the filters cleaned cannot be emphasized enough. The filter is the lungs of the furnace. If it becomes clogged with dirt or dust, it will not be able to heat the room properly. What’s more, it can also lead to increased strain as the furnace will struggle to produce warm air, and ultimately break down.

A clogged filter prevents proper airflow and forces the air handler to strain. This results in an overheating problem that eventually results in a system failure. In addition, the clogged filter allows some dirt and dust to enter the system. The dust can coat the furnace motor and the blower that can also quicken the furnace breakdown. Keeping the furnace serviced regularly will ensure that you don’t face the problem.

2. Inspect the thermostat battery

Occasionally the furnace fails to perform due to a simple thermostat battery problem. Some thermostats require a battery to operate. The batteries typically last for 3 to 4 years after which they require replacement. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep spare batteries so that you can replace them easily when required.

3. Keep the air vents open

Another advice to prevent furnace failure is to keep the air vents open. Closed vents are certainly not a good idea in the unused rooms as it can lead to furnace failure. Instead of saving energy, it can actually make the furnace strain to produce the heat that leads to energy problems later on.

4. Consider a furnace maintenance contract

You should strongly consider signing a maintenance contract with an experienced furnace repair company. This is the most effective advice to avoid the prospect of a furnace failure. The expert technician will thoroughly check the system during the routine inspection.

If anything is wrong with the furnace, the technician will perform the repair then and there that prevents major fault to occur with the system.

Call King in to address you furnace problems this winter

These are just some of the warning signs that can help you identify that your furnace is in need of repair or maintenance. Look out for these signs and—if you notice any of these—call the experts at King right away.

For professional furnace repair and maintenance in South Side Chicago, the South Suburbs and Parts of NW Indiana, contact our team.