It’s hard to stay comfortable in your own home during the winter season when you don’t have any source of heat. Thanks to the continuous innovation of technology though, furnaces have been invented to help keep people warm and cozy during the North American cold months.
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What’s A Furnace
For starters, a furnace is one of the important parts of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that provides heat indoors by warming the air and circulating it via ductwork. It generates heat through electrical energy or by converting its fuel source.
Furnaces offered in the United States can either be electric-powered or gas-powered. Having a furnace is essential, specifically for people who live in areas that experience cold climates.
But like other home appliances, your house’s furnace will experience hiccups along the way, especially when you don’t follow proper furnace maintenance and repair. Some of the common furnace problems most homeowners like you will encounter may include:
- Cracked heat exchanger;
- Broken thermostat;
- Malfunctioning blower belt;
- Rattling noises from the furnace; and
- Flickering or oddly-colored pilot light.
Whenever you’re experiencing one or more of these furnace problems, it’s best to have an expert take a look at your furnace as soon as possible to ensure that the problem won’t worsen and that you can still salvage your furnace. Furnace repair services exist in different states such as Virginia. Areas like Leesburg electric furnace repair companies can help fix your furnace and get it back in shape to improve its efficiency and prolong its life span.
Unfortunately, many homeowners would just choose to ignore their furnace problems despite seeing the signs due to the fear that the repair would take too long to finish. After all, with the important role the furnace plays in keeping a home warm, household heads can’t afford not to have their furnace up and running in a day or two. As a result, some of them would leave the furnace problem unresolved for a long time until the small problem can cause a major inconvenience.
How Long Does It Take To Fix A Broken Furnace
While purchasing a brand-new furnace system saves a lot of time, it’d be a much costlier route for you. Hence, if you’re looking to save more money, it’s best to have your furnace fixed by an HVAC professional.
But how long does it take to fix a furnace? In general, fixing a broken furnace should only take an hour or two, but it depends on what the furnace problem is. For example, for dirty filters, it may take them less than an hour to clean the filters or replace them altogether. A malfunctioning thermostat can also be repaired in no more than 60 minutes since it’s a simple and quick operation.
If the furnace is producing weird noises, there may be several reasons behind this, such as a broken motor mount, a malfunctioning blower wheel, or worn-out fans. The estimated time to fix these issues might take an hour or two. Meanwhile, if your furnace isn’t converting any heat, the overall repair process may require more than an hour as the furnace technician will need to diagnose the problem first before carrying out the repair.
Factors That Affect The Duration Of Furnace Repairs
Take note that the repair times mentioned above are only the average estimate. Ultimately, the length of time required to fix your furnace will depend on the current status of your furnace, the severity of the problem, as well as other multiple factors. Listed below are some components that contribute to the time duration of a given furnace repair job.
Age Of The Furnace
The average life span of a furnace is usually between 16 and 20 years. Thus, once your unit starts pushing past a decade and a half, it’s much easier for it to fall into a state of disrepair. Once that happens, repairing it would take longer than the average hour or two.
In fact, if you’re using older models, the technician may spend more time finding rare or hard-to-find furnace parts for replacement. Consequently, this will prolong the repair process. There’s even a high possibility that repairs might take more than a day the older it gets. Knowing the unit’s age beforehand would be extremely helpful in fixing it.
Type Of Furnace
Millions of households and institutions own a furnace. Considering the differences between each location, they all have limiting factors that hinder them from simply purchasing a furnace, namely resources. Thankfully, manufacturers have found a way to resolve that hiccup by providing a variety of types that cater to different preferences, such as:
- Electric furnaces;
- Oil furnaces;
- Natural gas furnaces; and
- Propane furnaces.
Out of all types, electric furnaces are said to be the most efficient of the four types of furnaces. This type will only require electricity to power it and nothing more. Plus, an electric furnace is also much easier to install.
Nevertheless, all types of furnaces aren’t barred from potential issues, whether powered by electricity or natural gases. For instance, gas furnaces experience a unique problem with their burners emitting yellow flames. Another exclusive issue for gas furnaces is when their blowers continue to run despite changing temperatures. As for electric furnaces, you might find them shutting down out of the blue during hot seasons due to clogged drain lines.
Although some of them are experienced by all kinds of furnaces, few are unique to specific types. Because of this, it’s best to keep the type of furnace you own in mind. This way, it should help narrow down the possible issues, which could help determine how long the repairs would take.
Furnace Maintenance History
For heating equipment to remain in good condition and continue to perform its intended purpose, device maintenance must be performed regularly. Regular furnace maintenance will lessen the chance for the unit to break down and potential problems will be avoided.
‘How long does it take to fix a furnace?’ is the question then. If your furnace is regularly checked and maintained by a technician or your furnace company, the number of repairs required will be small and much quicker since it’s always taken care of.
Complexity Of The Furnace Issue
In any case, the furnace problem always has more than meets the eye. Simply looking at a problem at the surface won’t be enough to estimate how long it’ll take to repair it. That being the case, the expert technician will have to look into it deeper and perform a more intensive diagnosis to have a feel for the problem. Then, they’ll list its possible causes and potential furnace problems and unravel their complexities.
For example, if the issue is the weird or clunking noises from the furnace, it may only take a short time to repair the problem. On the flip side, if the furnace isn’t producing heat at all or the furnace unit completely breaks down, this may require longer hours of repair.
Bottom Line
A furnace is one of the important necessities at home, especially in places with a colder climate. But from time to time, it might get all worked up and experience problems along the way. A simple self-check of the unit may work. Yet the best way to deal with the furnace problems is by having them repaired immediately instead of letting the issue sit for too long. Thankfully, this post will serve as your detailed guide and help you come up with a more accurate estimate of the duration of your furnace’s repair process.