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Q . I’m having a problem with my furnace. The fan in the furnace takes a few seconds to get up to speed, but it finally gets going and runs like new. I changed the filter, but that didn’t help. Is it time for a new furnace?
A. It would help to know how old the furnace is before giving advice on replacement, but an older, inefficient furnace should be considered for replacement if you want to conserve energy dollars.
As the cost of producing and providing energy for residential heating has increased, furnace manufacturers have met the challenge by producing high-efficiency gas furnaces, electric heat pumps and geothermal heating units. Your energy supplier should be able to help you compare the cost of a new high-efficiency furnace against the costs of the energy used over a 10-year period.
In most cases, the cost of a new heating system will be offset by the savings you can expect in future energy use.
The fan is slow to start due to the failure of the capacitor to become fully charged. A capacitor is wired to the electric motor of the fan to give it an extra jolt of power for startups. It works like a battery, storing energy and then releasing it all at once.
An HVAC (heating, venting, air-conditioning) technician can replace the capacitor in just a few minutes. I would also recommend that you have the entire fan assembly removed for cleaning and servicing. Years of dust and dirt accumulate on the fan’s blades, putting a strain on the motor and slowing the airflow through the ducts, which in turn reduces the efficiency of the entire heating system.
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