Save Money With Energy Audits, Air Conditioning Service and Insulation With Green ID
  • HOME
  • OUR SERVICES
    • Solar
    • Heating & Cooling
    • Insulation
    • Energy Audits
  • ENERGY AUDITS
    • APS Energy Audit
    • SRP Energy Audit
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT
    • Schedule A Service
    • Careers
  • BLOG

Common Heater Repairs for Heat Pumps and Furnaces

12/19/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
Your heating system should keep you warm and comfortable throughout the winter season, but he excessive summer of your HVAC system may cause fatigue of the heating components and whether you are proactively tackling heating maintenance or find yourself coming home to a broken heating system, here are some early warning signs and symptoms you can look out for to keep your heater running smoothly and save money on your utility bills.

Common Symptoms of a Broken Heater

Furnaces and heat pumps are fairly complex machines of electrical and mechanical parts and heating systems can have one independent component fail or multiple shut downs at once.  Diagnosing a broken heating system starts by listening to its initial symptoms.   Whether you have a gas powered furnace or gas pack or an all-electric heat pump heater, here are the common symptoms you might find if you suddenly experience your heater not working.
  1. Your heater is blowing cold air
  2. Your heater or fan never shuts off and runs constantly
  3. The heater never turns on
  4. The heater runs for 5 seconds then shuts off
  5. The thermostat doesn’t turn on

Common Symptoms the Heater Has A Slower Chronic Problem That Can Be Proactively Addressed

Often our technicians will catch emerging problems before they turn into bigger and more expensive issues, some of the symptoms of an overworked heating system are:
  1. Your heating bill is increasing with no lifestyle changes on your part
  2. You experience unpleasant smells
  3. You experience inconsistent temperatures from room to room
  4. You hear weird sounds coming from the unit
  5. The system is loud when it turns on
Picture

Air Conditioners and Heaters In Arizona Can Have These Problems If You Notice The Heater Is Not Working

Heating and air conditioning repairs in Arizona homes stem from several common problems.
  1. Clogged filter. I hate to list this one, but sometimes it really is as easy as turning your system off and changing your filter to get your heater working properly again.  Before you make a heating repair call, check your filters if possible and change them out if needed.  Speaking of clogged filters, read why other restrictions could also cause your heater to stop working and actually blow cold air out of your vents in the winter. 
  2. Bad fan motor. A bad fan motor can cause the heater not to work and can be caused by a bad fan relay, where the contacts inside the relay get stuck open and go bad.  Having to replace a fan relay is much less expensive than the fan motor and a good heating and cooling technician will be able to tell the difference and not turn a potentially easy fix into a complicated one. A bad capacitor can also stop the fan motor from running and providing the home with heat. Fan motors in general can also just go bad due to the motor burning up or the bearings seizing.
  3. Bad capacitor. Capacitors store energy for the compressor and fan to run and is made up of dielectric plates with an oil in-between the plates. Over time, the capacitors deteriorate and their rated capacity diminishes. Once the capacitor goes bad, your heater will not work because the fan motor will not run.
  4. Bad reversing valve. Reversing values are only found in heat pumps and reverse the flow of refrigerant depending if you are heating or cooling the home.  A bad reversing value in the heating season can often be confused with a compressor failure. Again, a costly mistake on the heating and cooling technicians’ part.  A reversing value may be stuck in the heating or cooling position due to a bad solenoid which would cause your heater to not blow hot air in the winter. 
  5. Burnt or faulty electrical wiring. Bad thermostats, poor splice connections or loose wires can also be the culprit in your heater’s problems. A line by line electrical check can diagnosis if any wires have gone bad in the heating and cooling system.
  6. Bad pressure switches, pressure sensors, limit switches, or flame sensors on gas furnaces. On furnaces good technicians will be able to diagnose these problems by simply reading the blink code through the panel sight glass. This saves time to diagnosis the heater problems and cuts much of the troubleshooting time exponentially.
  7. Low Freon charge on heat pumps. A refrigerant leak will cause your thermostat to never satisfy and your home will never reach it’s set-point. If you set the house temperature to 72 degrees in the winter, but it only reaches 68, and the unit keeps running, you may have a refrigerant leak. Refrigerant leaks can occur slowly over time but once the refrigerant gets low enough that you start having comfort problems, the size of the hole has increased also and rate of loss also increases. When refrigerant leaks occur, it’s best to have a technician perform a pressurized leak test to find the source and seal it up to avoid damaging the compressor in the future.
 
If you are looking for heating and air conditioning repair contractors in the Phoenix area chances are you need fast service to get your system working again.  For fast, reliable service call Green ID 24/7 at 602-​926-1650.  Our technicians are trained to never over-sell repairs, in most cases a quick repair is all that’s required to get the system back in working condition. Mention this blog for a 10% discount off any repairs and call (602) 926-1650 today.
4 Comments
Alice Carroll link
5/10/2020 05:16:31 pm

Thanks for pointing out that capacitors are susceptible to getting bad over time and would need repairs later down the line. I'm planning to get a heater installed in my house in order to have more control of the temperature and avoid having to deal with temperature-related allergies that I have. It's good to know to preemptively know about the potential repairs that I would need someday.

Reply
Afton Jackson link
5/21/2020 11:15:31 pm

We were checking on all the appliances at my brother's beach house to make sure everything was working fine and we found out that a couple of heaters weren't functioning well. I wanted to know what might be causing this and it helped when you talked about how faulty electrical wiring is a big cause for malfunctions. When we inspected the heaters, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the outside parts, so the problem must be from the inside. I'll be sure to contact a heating repairman before the vacation starts and keep your article in mind in case they start malfunctioning again. Thank you!

Reply
iecomfortac link
6/7/2022 04:59:00 am

I agree. It’s good to get excited about home renovations, but you should make sure that you are taking care of your existing home and its appliances, especially the furnace. Talk to a professional before your project, cover up your HVAC vents and invest in a fan and vacuum during renovations. Once your renovations are completed, contact the HVAC professional again for a check-up.

Reply
Eli Richardson link
11/15/2022 12:22:57 pm

In the middle of the night, our furnace stopped working, and we were freezing since the temperature just dropped this week. My wife and I moved to this house a few months ago, and we have no clue about the furnace's shape, so we'll look for a specialist to help us out. We appreciate your insight on how a bad capacitor could stop the furnace's fan from working.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Sign Up For Your Home Energy Audit

    FIND YOUR HOME TYPE

    Ranch Homes

    Picture
    Picture

    Single Story, Spec Homes

    Picture
    Picture

    Two Story, Spec Homes

    Picture
    Picture

    Tri-Level Homes

    Picture

    Pre-1990 Custom Home

    Picture
    Picture

    Post-1990 Custom Home

    Picture
    Picture

    Don't See Your Home? Find Your City Below!

     

    Archives 

    September 2021
    August 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010


    Copyright Notice

    ©2009 – 2023
    All Rights Reserved


Privacy Policy 
Terms and Conditions 
Find us on: 
  • HOME
  • OUR SERVICES
    • Solar
    • Heating & Cooling
    • Insulation
    • Energy Audits
  • ENERGY AUDITS
    • APS Energy Audit
    • SRP Energy Audit
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT
    • Schedule A Service
    • Careers
  • BLOG