You rely on your furnace to keep your home toasty when winter’s chill comes to Whittier. But what happens if the furnace exhaust is blocked? Below, learn the impact of a blocked furnace exhaust, then call Happy Camper for furnace repair services in Whittier, CA.
How Does the Furnace Exhaust Work?
If you own a gas or oil furnace, it comes with an exhaust system. This exhaust system is necessary because the furnace produces carbon monoxide during the combustion process. Without a working exhaust, that carbon monoxide would end up inside your home.
Exhaust systems typically route gases out of your home through the chimney. If you don’t have a chimney, the system will expel the gases through a vent in your roof or exterior wall.
What Happens if the Furnace Exhaust is Blocked?
It’s your exhaust system’s job to keep dangerous gases out of your Whittier, CA, home. But what happens if the furnace exhaust is blocked?
The biggest risk of a blocked exhaust is carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an extremely dangerous gas that can kill in short order. It causes symptoms like dizziness, nausea, weakness, and confusion. If you feel sick inside your home but the symptoms go away after leaving the house, you might have a CO leak.
Other signs of an airflow restriction include:
- A lack of hot air. When a furnace is clogged, it causes a pressure buildup, which means there’s not enough airflow to trigger the inducer fan’s pressure switch. The furnace will stop working to prevent incomplete combustion.
- The front cover panel is overheating. The furnace’s front cover may normally be a little warm, but if it’s so hot that you can barely stand to touch it, you probably have a blockage.
- A brief cycle of heating followed by shutdowns. Your furnace might run for a minute before shutting down. This happens when the furnace detects a blockage and shuts down to avoid serious damage. At this point, the furnace will refuse to run again unless you reset it.
- Bad odors. If you smell a musty or smoky smell and this is the first time you’ve turned the furnace on all year, that’s normal. The odor should fade after a few minutes. But if you smell smoke long after turning on the furnace, you might have a clog in the system.
Why Do Furnace Exhausts Become Blocked in Whittier, CA?
What causes heating system exhausts to become blocked in the first place? And why is your furnace exhaust clogged even though you’ve installed a protective cover over the vent?
Although the cover does a good job of keeping debris out of your exhaust, it can’t catch everything. Plus, vent covers can become damaged by bad weather or corrosion. Sometimes, they simply fall off.
If your protective cover is MIA, the exhaust can easily become clogged by leaves and tree branches. Animals like birds and squirrels love to nest inside cozy furnace exhausts, too. If you were to climb on your roof and inspect the exhaust, you might be surprised by what you find.
Soot buildup is another big exhaust killer. Soot forms as a byproduct of combustion, and it can block your ventilation system quickly. This is why it’s smart to have a technician inspect and clean your furnace exhaust at least once a year.
What Happens if the Furnace Exhaust is Blocked in Whittier, CA? Nothing Good!
If you’re wondering what happens if the furnace exhaust is blocked, contact Happy Camper in Whittier, CA, for furnace maintenance and repairs. We’re also experts at fixing winter HVAC issues, so call us today!
FAQ Section
Do Furnaces Shut Off When the Vent Is Blocked?
Furnaces often shut down when they detect a safety hazard like a blockage. Your furnace might temporarily stop working to prevent permanent damage to the system.
Where Is My Furnace Vent Located?
You’ll find your furnace vent located on either an exterior wall of your house or on the roof.
What Can Cause a Furnace Vent To Block?
Tree branches, leaves, animal nests, and snow commonly cause furnace exhaust blockages. Installing a vent cover over the exhaust can help prevent blockages from debris.
How Do You Unblock a Furnace Vent?
You can usually unblock a furnace vent with a small brush. For bigger clogs, use a shop vac. If the blockage is too deep to reach, stop wondering what happens if the furnace exhaust is blocked and call a furnace repair technician for help.