Do You Have a Bad Furnace Limit Switch in Locust Grove, VA?

A limit switch is a critical regulatory device in your furnace. But even if you know that a bad limit switch means trouble if you try to heat your Locust Grove, VA, home, how can you be sure exactly when it has malfunctioned? Here are three major signs of a bad furnace limit switch:

Poor or Nonexistent Airflow

To assist you in better spotting the signs of a malfunctioning limit switch, let us expand a bit upon its functions. Sensors in your furnace’s plenum should take readings of the system’s internal temperature. Once that temperature gets high enough, the limit switch must then send a signal to the air handler and tell it to begin distributing the warm air your furnace has generated throughout your home.

If air ever stops flowing out of your furnace, you should begin wondering about the condition of its limit switch. While a faulty limit switch is far from the only cause of poor furnace airflow, it’s one of the most common.

Your Furnace Shuts Down

Another consequence of a dysfunctional limit switch is that your furnace might shut down completely. Without a properly working limit switch, the furnace will keep all of the hot air it creates inside of it. This will eventually cause overheating, which may trigger the system to automatically turn off.

Short-Cycling System

Short-cycling is when your furnace turns on and off before it can fully complete a heating cycle. This odd behavior has a variety of causes, but a broken limit switch will completely disrupt your furnace’s ability to regulate air distribution, which may cause it to turn on and off haphazardly. This is a serious problem, and you should request help from HVAC professionals to fix it as soon as possible.

If your furnace’s limit switch doesn’t work, you can forget about keeping your Locust Grove, VA home warm this winter. Don’t get stuck in that situation. Call Custom/Design Heating & Air Conditioning and ask for our heating services today.

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