Using and Maintaining HVAC Systems in Rental Properties

Heating Repair Services That May Be Needed To Keep Your Electric Furnace Working

An electric furnace heats your home with electricity, so you won't need propane or natural gas connections to make heat. The heat-producing parts of the furnace include the heating elements, sequencer, and contactor. The blower is responsible for moving the heated air through the ducts and into your living space.

If no air is coming from the ducts, you probably have a blower problem. If air is coming out but it isn't hot enough, you could have an issue with one of the heat-producing parts. Here's an overview of how an electric furnace works and the heating repair services you might need when your furnace malfunctions.

Understand What Can Go Bad With Electric Heat

When your furnace kicks on, air is pulled into the heat exchanger. There are a few heating elements in the chamber. The number depends on the size and brand of furnace you have. The contactor receives the signal from the thermostat to start the heating elements, but they can't all come on at once or your furnace will probably blow a fuse. Instead, the sequencer turns the elements on one at a time. Warm air is then blown from the heat exchanger and into your house.

Replace A Bad Contactor Or Sequencer

If the contactor goes bad, your furnace won't get the prompt from the thermostat to turn on and start making heat. If the sequencer is bad, only one heating element may start. This keeps your furnace from making hot air. These parts can be checked with a multimeter to see if they're bad. If so, the heating repair service can replace them with new parts.

Replace A Malfunctioning Heating Element

If a heating element goes bad in your furnace, your furnace may seem to operate normally, but the air coming out of the ducts will not be very hot. If none of the heating elements work, the air may not be warm at all. The heating repair service will examine the elements to pinpoint the problem. Electric furnace heating elements look like long wire coils. The coils can be pulled out and replaced when needed.

Repair The Blower Or Blower Motor

If something is wrong with the blower in your electric furnace, your home won't warm up. With no warm air blowing out of the ducts, your home will get chilly pretty fast. A blower might stop working if it's too dirty and covered in dust. However, a common cause of blower problems is the motor. When the motor goes bad, it may need to be replaced with a new one.

Another part the heating repair service may check is the capacitor, which helps the motor start. If the capacitor is bad, the motor may not get enough power to run the blower from a dead stop.

For more information, contact a local company, like American Air Heating & Air Conditioning.


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