3 Reasons Your Furnace Is Rusting
Rust seems to find its way into anything that is made of metal. This is true whether you’re talking about your home heating system, a car, or something else. While rust is especially common in climates that are humid, there are temperature imbalances that are created when using your furnace. These temperature imbalances manufacture moisture, negatively impacting your heating system no matter how reliable or well-built it may be.
If you hardly use your HVAC system, you may be able to extend its lifespan. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for those who live in a cold climate though. The most you can do is put off the day of reckoning but it’ll eventually arrive no matter what you do. Having rust in furnace is actually quite common for numerous reasons.
Reasons For Rust In A Furnace
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According to professionals, there are three main reasons why rust forms in your HVAC system. These include:
- Water Leaks Or A Large Amount Of Humidity: Humidity is the percentage of water vapor that’s present in the air. Depending on where you live, your environment may be prone to having more humidity than another location. However, you may aggravate this condition if you put additional water in the air inside of your home. One way in which you may do this is by having a water leak that you don’t know about.
- Air Conditioning Leaks: Your AC unit will produce water whenever it’s running. Most of today’s AC units are centralized which means that they’re integrated directly into your furnace’s ductwork. When an air conditioner leak happens, it can go directly into your home’s heating system. This will not only increase the amount of ambient humidity that’s present, but it’ll also create poos of standing water in a very inconvenient location.
- Issues With Your Furnace Exhaust System: This is another byproduct of your home’s HVAC system. It happens because the physical process of your furnace creating heat can cause there to be more humidity throughout your home. Humidity occurs when the hot air that leaves your furnace’s burner cools resulting in condensation being found within the system itself.
Risks Of A Rusty Furnace
Unfortunately, every furnace will eventually rust. Some furnaces will take longer to rust than others. There are also some things that you can do to prolong the time before your furnace rusts so that this isn’t something you have to deal with only a few years after you’ve installed your new furnace. One of the most important things that you can do is pay careful attention to this unit. Some of the other things that you can and should do for your furnace include:
Annual Furnace Maintenance
Have heating system maintenance performed yearly on your furnace. Having your furnace inspected every year is vital. You’ll also find that this is much more cost-effective than replacing your entire HVAC system. When this annual inspection is conducted, your HVAC contractor will check for rust. They’ll also make sure that your furnace is performing well and doing so safely.
Clogged Burner Jets
Have an HVAC repairman check for clogged burner jets. Rust eventually degrades the way your HVAC system performs. When burner jets become clogged they’ll run less efficiently. They’ll also require more fuel to create the same amount of heat. What’s even worse is this is dangerous because it can lead to highly elevated levels of carbon monoxide gas.
Furnace Fuel Supply Lines
Have your furnace fuel supply lines checked. Rust often causes these lines to fail. This can be very dangerous as it can result in a fire or an explosion. It’s important for you to know that you’re having an issue here before some unsightly orange streaks appear on the outside of your cabinet. When you do see these streaks it’s possible that the fuel supply lines themselves are already completely ruined.
Repair Furnace Issues Promptly
Besides scheduling a furnace tune-up annually, you should also make sure that you fix any furnace issues as soon as possible. Oftentimes these issues will be pointed out during an annual inspection. For instance, you may be told why there’s rust building up in your system. If so, it’s important for you to either eliminate or ameliorate these things as soon as possible. Once you’ve done so you should also repair any other degraded parts of your system. Unfortunately, this is assuming that your system can be salvaged because you should know that some systems are unsalvageable, especially when they are old.
You should always take into consideration whether the cost to bring your unit back to peak operating condition is worth it. If your system is older, its efficiency will never be as good as a new system regardless of what you do. Of course, this isn’t something you’ll know unless you take the time to consult with a professional HVAC contractor.
Conclusion
Your HVAC contractor realizes that everyone will have different circumstances. They will be able to share the cost-benefit ratios with you in a way that you can understand so that you’re able to choose what will work best for your needs. Ultimately, you must always remember that keeping rest at bay leaves you with more options than trying to correct it once it’s begun. This is because when rust takes root, your options become so narrow that you may find that your only option is to fully replace your HVAC unit due to safety concerns.
Call Wilcox Energy For All Of Your HVAC Requirements
Wilcox Energy offers high-quality heating and cooling services all throughout the southern Connecticut shoreline. We hire only professionally certified technicians who can assist you with all of your HVAC needs. Some of our services include furnace maintenance, boiler repair, AC installation, ductless system replacement, and much more. Our HVAC contractors have years of experience and extensive knowledge to conduct accurate services.
Rest assured that our company has affordable heating and cooling rates in the area. Our tune-up services can improve your home comfort, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. We can also recommend you with the most suitable HVAC make and model within your budget should you need to replace your current unit. Your satisfaction with our work is important to us. That is why all our works are guaranteed. Schedule an appointment with us and call Wilcox Energy today. We provide free, no-obligation, in-home consultations.
For more information about our HVAC services, be sure to contact Wilcox Energy. You can click here to contact us, or you can call us at (860) 399-6218 to find out more. We offer a full line of heating and cooling repairs, maintenance services, and installations.