Winters in Chicagoland rarely come in slowly. Without warning, temperatures start to plummet, and families across the area fire up their furnaces. Some of those furnaces will inevitably fail to turn on, leaving homeowners in a bind.

Furnace breakdowns and malfunctions are not loud or dramatic, but they are always cumbersome. Homeowners quickly realize something has gone wrong when their furnace won’t work.

If this is your situation, chances are one of two things is happening:

Sudden Heat Loss

The most common furnace breakdown scenario is when a furnace shuts off unexpectedly and will not turn on again. Predictably, this often happens at the worst time possible, so families wake up to find their homes freezing cold in the middle of the night.

There are a large variety of issues that can cause sudden heat loss in your homes, such as a power outage, a malfunctioning pilot light, or faulty wiring in your furnace. Because there is no straightforward solution, it’s always best to call a trained professional that can assess your furnace and find a way to fix it.

Short Cycling

While this furnace issue is less common, it’s no less of a complication. Short cycling is when your furnace clicks on and off in short bursts instead of running for a sustained duration. When your furnace runs in these short bursts, your home fails to warm like it normally would. The start-stop nature of its operation also adds a lot of wear and tear to your unit.

The most likely cause of this problem is a dirty filter. A clogged furnace filter restricts airflow and creates a backup of air and heat in the unit. When this occurs, the furnace’s internal temperature spikes too high, which causes the safety switch to power the unit down.

After shutting down, your furnace powers back up in an attempt to heat your home, and the cycle begins anew.

Four Seasons has technicians standing by every minute of the day to bring you timely repair services when you need them the most. Contact Four Seasons any time of the day or night if you need an emergency furnace repair in Chicagoland this winter.