I tried to do everything I could to help my heater when it began running inefficiently.
I started noticing how often the heater was running and how difficult it was to heat my home evenly! Before calling an HVAC professional, I tried replacing the air filter to see if that would help.
The outdated air filter was covered in dust and debri, so I felt confident that the wash air filter I was replacing it with would do the trick. However, even though the wash air filter entirely helped a little, I didn’t notice a significant change in the frequency my heater was running! Next, I evaluated the outside unit to see if there were any branches or tall grass covering it. I cleared a few sticks and trimmed the bushes back, however I still did not notice a difference in my heater efficiency. I broke down and hired an HVAC professional because I knew I’d done what I could to get my heater running normally again. The HVAC professional was kind and considerate and he was easily impressed with me for replacing the air filter and clearing the outside unit, then unfortunately, the real issue was the fan limit switch. The switch was faulty and the control unit wiring was tangled. I was anxious about the cost to maintenance the limit switch, however the HVAC professional said it was entirely incostly. I’m cheerful I did what I could before calling an HVAC professional, and I’m cheerful the situation wasn’t worse than it was.