I waited as long as possible before calling for furnace repair.
I should have scheduled professional service as soon as I noticed an issue with the heating system. By holding off, I ended up with a much bigger disruption and expense. Initially, the furnace was running for longer cycles than usual. I suspected that there wasn’t as much warm air flowing from the vents. I responded by raising the thermostat setting. This simply put greater demand on the furnace. Because of the longer run times, the system consumed more energy which led to higher monthly utility bills. Eventually, the heating system began making an odd grinding sound whenever it started up. I ignored it. I also paid little attention to the odd odors coming from the vents and dust circulating in the air. All of these were warning signs of problems with operation. I was reluctant to spend the time and money on a furnace repair. My hesitation led to the furnace quitting completely in the middle of the night in the middle of February. With outdoor temperatures in the teens, I was suddenly in a big hurry to get a new heating system installed. There was no time to weigh options and shop around. I needed to have a functioning heater before my plumbing pipes froze. I also couldn’t leave my family without heat. Fortunately, the HVAC company was really great about expediting the project. They helped me to secure financing and handled the installation quickly. While I’m extremely happy with the new furnace, all of that expense, stress and disruption could have been avoided if I’d acted immediately.