How to stop my furnace from running all the time?

[princessmorgan]

I feel like our electrical furnace is running constantly all day and night. Occasionally it shuts off, because I think it needs a break. We set the temp at 70. I don't feel like our house is super warm either. Do I need to weatherproof our house or something, add some insulation, caulk around windows? Does anyone have any suggestions? The air is so dry in here, too, from all that air blowing around. Thanks!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

All of the above. And maybe get thermopane windows if you don't have them.

 

[princessmorgan]

All of the above. And maybe get thermopane windows if you don't have them.

Thanks

 

[HM]

Also, drop your temp to 68 and you'll save some money as well.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Also, when was the last time you had a cleaning on your system? If its dirty it will run longer and harder to get it where it should be. Also, with temps low in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic right now, it might be just trying to keep up with the outdoor temps.

 

[QVCshopper]

We have gas heat and keep it at 62 during the day and 58 at night. Yes, it's a little chilly, but we're used to it, and it definitely only runs when it needs to. I hear it turn off and on sparingly. We also put up extra blankets and pillows in the back windows as insulation and open the shades on sunny days for free thermal heat.

I'd either lower your thermostat or have someone come look at your furnance. How much was your last bill? I was thrilled with $137--$90 of which was electric (1800SF single family house with finished basement). That's amazingly low for Pennsylvania in December, but it has been warmer the past few weeks. The cold has finally shown up though...

 

[fakereadhed]

We just move the cat off the heat vent...and voila it stops running.

 

[princessmorgan]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I lowered the thermostat to 68, so hopefully that will help. The system probably hasn't been cleaned for a few years. I'll look into that. Should we get it professionally cleaned or can DH do it? Our last electric bill was $140 and we have about a 2400 sq ft house with an unfinished basement. But it's been the past couple of weeks when I've noticed this when the temperatures have gotten colder.

 

[Sadie22]

We wear sweaters. You can turn the thermostat down at least a couple of degrees. Right now our heat pump is off, but we have electric baseboard heat in the occupied bedrooms. We have a gas fireplace in the family room when it is occupied. You can set out pans or bowls of water to add some humidity to your air.

 

[3boymthr]

DH is in HVAC and I get a lot of comments about what people should do to make sure their systems run efficiently.

I second making sure that your vents and furnace have been cleaned recently. Dirt and gunk will make it run a lot more.

Also make sure that the sensor holes on the thermostat are not clogged with dust. If they aren't I'd also make sure your thermostats are accurately reading the temp in the house. Compare the temp they say the house is at to the temp that the house actually is. Put a thermometer right on top of it.

ETA - Unless your DH really knows what he's doing I'd have the cleaning done professionally. DH goes on more service calls for people who think they know what they're doing and who've made a simple mistake that really messes up the system. There are a LOT of interconnecting parts on furnaces, many of them, especially on the newer furnaces that have sensitive computer controllers which are easily damaged.

 

[Muushka]

Do you change your filters regularly?

 

[princessmorgan]

DH is in HVAC and I get a lot of comments about what people should do to make sure their systems run efficiently.

I second making sure that your vents and furnace have been cleaned recently. Dirt and gunk will make it run a lot more.

Also make sure that the sensor holes on the thermostat are not clogged with dust. If they aren't I'd also make sure your thermostats are accurately reading the temp in the house. Compare the temp they say the house is at to the temp that the house actually is. Put a thermometer right on top of it.

ETA - Unless your DH really knows what he's doing I'd have the cleaning done professionally. DH goes on more service calls for people who think they know what they're doing and who've made a simple mistake that really messes up the system. There are a LOT of interconnecting parts on furnaces, many of them, especially on the newer furnaces that have sensitive computer controllers which are easily damaged.

Any recommendations on how to find a good reputable company to do it? Thanks!

Do you change your filters regularly?

That we actually do

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I agree with lowering the temp - we have ours at 58 day/ night.

Also check the house - I was up on a ladder painting the other day and I could feel a distinct cold draft coming from the top of the door leading to the garage. We went out and got it some weatherstripping problem solved. Key thing is we've lived here 6 years and never noticed it before (duh).

 

[pixiedustaholic]

We have a small kerosene heater that we use to supplement and give the heat pump a rest. We have a small house and it heats the entire house sometimes to the point that the kids complain about being hot. Even if you have a larger home, it would help. We do not use it while we are sleeping or leaving the house of course.

 

[North of Mouse]

Do you have heat pumps? We do and when it's really cold like last night (15*) it will run a lot. I don't really care for them, but for our area on south they are usually financially more efficient than gas/propane heat, so that is what our builder recommended. We don't "usually" have the extended cold. Also, it will depend on how new your unit is and the condition of your insulation.

 

[Sandy61]

We just move the cat off the heat vent...and voila it stops running.

That's what one of our cats does every morning when we turn the heat up! I put the stick (broom stick) from the sliding patio door over it so the heat can come up but it is too uncomfortable for her to lay on it.

 

[cornflake]

Most gas or electric companies will come out and do an energy audit for free - call and ask.

They'll come over with heat sensors and a guy and assess your home - tell you where you're losing hot air (they can show you with the sensor thing where cold air is blowing in, what walls aren't properly insulated, where there are cracks around window frames you may not be able to see, etc.), and advise you about stuff like window insulation, etc. to reduce your usage.

 

[erincon23]

I don't know if you're talking about your furnace running, shutting off and starting again, and it sounding wrong, or just running because your house isn't weatherproof and leaks air. If it's the second, you just got a lot of good suggestions; but if it's the first, that's a problem. We just had that -- and we have an excellent HVAC guy (who works for a company, but comes out to people he knows as a side job) who saved us tons of money by telling us how to try fixing it ourselves. I'll give you this info, do as you wish with it --

-pull the cover off your furnace. You'll see a row of blower tubes. All the way to the left above the tubes, you'll see a thin wire sticking up. You'll have to look close and you may need a flashlight. This is your flame sensor. The furnace (maybe) turns on and off because the flame sensor gets dirty and doesn't function correctly. Take some steel wool or a dollar bill, folded up, and rub it on that flame sensor. You have to be careful, but our guy said we wouldn't break it (the dollar bill -- he said something in the ink helps clean it). That will clean off the flame sensor so it works properly. Then make sure you put a clean filter in -- we were told that the allergen-cleaning filters don't let enough air through to keep it working well, so we use the cheap filters. And voila! Our furnace works again. I thought we were facing a couple hundred dollar repair.

 

[Muushka]

I agree about the cheap filters. When we had our new system installed, they looked at our very expensive allergen filters and they said to get rid of them. The cheaper ones work more efficiently with the forced air systems.

One more comment. I don't think lowering the temp is going to address the problem. If the furnace takes a very long time to reach the 70 temp, something is wrong. 70 is not that high.

 

[princessmorgan]

Most gas or electric companies will come out and do an energy audit for free - call and ask.

They'll come over with heat sensors and a guy and assess your home - tell you where you're losing hot air (they can show you with the sensor thing where cold air is blowing in, what walls aren't properly insulated, where there are cracks around window frames you may not be able to see, etc.), and advise you about stuff like window insulation, etc. to reduce your usage.

Thanks for the suggestion! I called our electric company today and they only provide the service for low income families.