Has your furnace been having trouble heating your home lately? Maybe you’ve noticed your furnace not kicking on or your utility bills rising higher than they should. If you see any of these symptoms, especially in conjunction with rust inside your furnace, it may be time to contact an HVAC service professional for help.
Rust formation in your electric or gas furnace isn’t uncommon—virtually all furnaces will develop rust eventually, no matter how well you care for them. Fortunately, you can delay the formation of rust by keeping watch for some warning signs and keeping up with regular maintenance.
What Causes Rust Inside Furnaces?
Rust generally appears on furnaces when they’re exposed to too much water. Your furnace will rust eventually regardless of how much humidity is in its environment, but more water usually equals more rust faster.
As long as your rust develops at an average pace, your furnace will still give you several decades of productive use. However, if you notice any abnormal rust development, it’s always a good idea to track down the source as soon as possible.
Clogged Drain Lines
Issues with excess water condensation on your furnace can often be traced back to the air conditioning. Air conditioners attract moisture on their cooling coils as they run. Typically, condensation drain lines carry this moisture outdoors after it collects, but if these channels clog or sustain damage, the water might not drain away properly. While the water might not always end up in or near your furnace, if it does, it can cause premature rust formation.
High Humidity
In some places, the natural humidity in the air can be an enormous contributor to rust formation. This effect is most common in hot, humid regions and coastal areas. However, it can also happen in dry climates due to other factors. For example, if you have a basement that floods, your basement may have a high humidity level even when the outdoors does not.
If your furnace gets exposed to high humidity regularly, it may be worth investing in a dehumidifier to keep the surrounding air dry.
Furnace Exhaust Degradation
Furnaces produce heat, and this process naturally results in high humidity levels. As hot air cools, it tends to release its water content, forming condensation on nearby surfaces. When this happens in your furnace, it can lead to unnatural rust generation in areas where this exhaust cools.
Old Age
When you take in all of the above, it makes sense that the risk of rust development inside your furnace rises exponentially over time. The more time passes, the more likely the above problems are to develop. As a general rule, if this rust starts to inhibit your furnace’s normal and safe functionality, it’s time to repair or replace it.
You should also consider replacing your furnace if it’s more than 15-20 years old, as the increased efficiency that a modern model offers will pay for itself quickly.
How To Keep Furnace Rust at Bay
Even though it will happen eventually, there’s still plenty you can do to delay the formation of rust inside your furnace. After all, a rust-free furnace is a healthy furnace, and an unhealthy furnace can be incredibly dangerous.
Schedule Annual Maintenance
The best way to keep your furnace in good working order is by leaving it to a trustworthy and knowledgeable professional. Furnaces are complicated pieces of equipment, but an HVAC pro knows all of the most important signs to keep watch for. They may also be able to conduct minor repairs before they turn into extensive and costly replacements.
The general rule of thumb is to have a professional check your furnace once each year to clean it and inspect it thoroughly. However, if you notice your furnace behaving strangely, it may be worth ordering an early (or extra) inspection just in case.
Clean Furnace Burner Jets
The burner jets in your furnace tend to clog over time, especially when they start to develop excess rust. The best way to prevent this from happening is to have a certified professional inspect them regularly. However, you should keep an eye out for excessive rust development in-between visits, too.
When your furnace burner jets clog, they need to work harder to heat your home. Not only does this raise your energy bills, but it results in health risks, too. When they become too clogged, these burning jets can release excessive levels of carbon monoxide inside your home, which can be fatal to you and your family in high concentrations.
Carbon monoxide can cause noticeable health changes at low concentrations, too. If you experience unexplained dizziness, headaches, nausea, or breathlessness in addition to higher energy bills, contact emergency authorities right away. Installing a carbon monoxide detector in your home is always a good idea, too (and it may be legally required in some areas).
Watch Furnace Supply Lines
Non-electric furnaces carry the risk of rust formation in their fuel lines. Rust degrades the strength of the material it forms on, and eventually, it can lead to leaks and holes. A leak in your gas or fuel line can quickly spell disaster, even if it’s very small.
If you notice rust on any of your furnace pipes, contact a professional immediately and consider disabling the furnace temporarily until they arrive. If you can see rust on the outside of your pipes, that could mean even more rust exists on the inside. Don’t let problems like this go unfixed, as furnace fuel leaks can lead to catastrophic fires and even explosions.
Contact Mission Comfort for Furnace Repair Today
When you need help with rust inside your furnace, your local experts at Mission Comfort are here to help. Whether you just have some questions for us or you need to make an appointment for a furnace inspection, we’re ready and waiting to answer your call. Contact us at (301) 701-3739 to learn more about furnace repair by Mission Comfort today.
