Can't Get Warm? Heating System Problems

Now that the chilly season is upon us in South Texas, you might have noticed that your heating system isn’t preventing your home from feeling cool or drafty. Or perhaps this is an issue you’ve noticed in recent years as well. Whatever the case, you’ll want to identify the problem and have it repaired or corrected. Following are some common heating system problems:

Poor Airflow

Poor airflow, with the full complement of conditioned air not reaching one or more rooms in your home. The culprit here could be any of several different things.

• If the air filter hasn’t been changed recently, the dirt and debris clogging its membranes could be impeding the path of air into and out of your heating equipment. Inspect the air filter monthly during high-use heating and cooling seasons and change it when it looks clogged.
• Blocked registers also might be keeping air from entering a room. Move rugs, drapes, furniture and other objects that are fully or partially blocking vents.
• Leaking ducts, or a duct network that’s poorly designed, might also reduce airflow to your rooms.
• Finally, a malfunctioning blower motor may not be pushing sufficient air through your system.

Cold Air

If airflow is OK but the air doesn’t feel warm, a variety of issues could be at fault, depending on what sort of heating system your home has.

• If you’re using a combustion furnace, the issue might be partially blocked gas burners or maybe the gas isn’t igniting at all. These are problems that an HVAC professional likely will need to address.
• With a heat pump system, if the heat-exchange coils are dirty, that could reduce the amount of heat that’s extracted from refrigerant running through the system.
• A refrigerant leak might have the same effect, in addition to presenting a health and environmental hazard.

In most of these cases, the problem can be prevented with an annual preventative maintenance tuneup from a trusted HVAC business. However, if your heating system is old, it might be time for a system replacement.

If your Coastal Bend home isn’t heating properly this winter, please contact us at CCAC, Inc.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about your HVAC system, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.