Is your furnace no longer working as efficiently as it did before? Is your home taking longer to reach the thermostat temperature? An inefficient furnace doesn't just affect indoor comfort. It can also lead to safety issues and costly repairs. Thus, you should promptly inspect, troubleshoot, and repair the furnace to boost its performance. Below are four potential issues that may arise from an inefficient residential furnace.

Temperature Fluctuation in the Home

One of the leading causes of furnace inefficiency is ductwork problems. Worn or poorly designed ducts can hinder airflow into the home, leading to inadequate cooling. Leaking ductwork causes the furnace to work harder to heat your home. As a result, some rooms warm up faster than others, leading to hot and cold spots. If your ducts aren't sized to meet the heating needs of individual rooms, there will be temperature variations throughout the home. 

Poor Indoor Air Quality

Furnace inefficiencies can emanate from the furnace itself. If the furnace is old, its parts will experience natural wear and tear. One component you should be wary of is the heat exchanger. If it cracks due to old age or poor maintenance, it will leak exhaust gases and pollutants into your heating system. One type of gas released is carbon monoxide (CO), which can cause poisoning if released in large amounts. A damaged heat exchanger can force you to invest in a costly filtration system to improve the air quality in your home.

Costly Furnace Operation

Modern furnaces have energy-efficient components that consume less energy while providing sufficient heating. However, once the appliance starts to malfunction, its efficiency reduces. For example, leaky ducts cause the furnace to work at maximum speed at all times to meet the heating needs. Consequently, the appliance consumes more energy than it did when it was new. With unreliable and inefficient components, the furnace takes longer to heat the home, leading to costly operations.

Heating Emergencies

It is only a matter of time before an inefficient furnace stops heating your home. If you don't repair the appliance, key components, such as the burner, heat exchanger, and blower, will fail, causing the furnace to stop working entirely. If this happens during the winter, you will be faced with a heating emergency. When a furnace short-cycles and produces strange sounds and weird odors, it is on the verge of failure. To avoid a heating emergency, schedule immediate repairs.

Furnaces rarely fail without exhibiting warning signs. Don't wait for your inefficient furnace to stop working and cost you huge repair expenses. Contact an HVAC contractor for troubleshooting and repair services.