Just realized my new-ish furnace was blowing cold air for a week before I noticed

It's a 2022 model I had installed last fall for $4,200 in Cleveland, and last Tuesday I walked past the basement and felt this weird chill - turns out the igniter was failing, cycling on and off without me catching it. My utility bill jumped by $80 before I figured it out, and now I'm wondering if that's a sign of bad luck or just my own fault for not checking sooner. Has anyone else had a major home appliance fail quietly like that, or am I just slow on the uptake?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_scott961d ago

Isn't that the worst feeling when you realize something's been broken for a while without you noticing? @olivermason is totally right that a simple flashing light would save so many headaches, especially when these new furnaces cost that much. For real, don't beat yourself up about it, modern appliances hide their problems too well and that $80 hit is just a stupid tax on life, not bad luck.

angela_morgan1d ago

Oh man, the igniter on a 2022 model already giving out? That stinks. First thing you should do is check if it's still under warranty, a lot of those parts have a 5 year or so warranty so you might get the igniter replaced for free. Labor might still cost you though, but definitely call the installer and ask. For the $80 jump in your bill, I'd call the utility company and see if they offer any kind of billing adjustment or average payment plan to soften that blow - I've had luck with that before when a water heater went wonky on me. And don't beat yourself up about not noticing, with modern furnaces flashing error codes inside the panel, you'd think they'd have a simple indicator light for a flame failure that's obvious from across the room.

olivermason1d ago

Ngl, you make a good point about the indicator light thing. With all the smart tech in new furnaces, you'd think they'd add a simple LED that flashes a flame failure code on the cover or something. Feels like they design these things for the repair guy, not the homeowner who just wants to know if it's broken from across the room.