When the weather gets cold, your heater is one of the most important appliances in your home. You need to make sure your heater is working properly to keep your household comfortable and healthy. 

To keep your heater functioning properly, you need to replace it promptly when necessary. The following are six important indications to look out for that could tell you that you need a new heater:

You're always needing to make adjustments to your unit's thermostat.

You should be able to set your thermostat and expect to achieve a comfortable interior atmosphere at a setting that seems appropriate to you.

If you constantly feel that your heating system isn't achieving temperatures that it's set to accurately, your heater could be malfunctioning severely and may need replacement.

The air in your home's interior has begun to feel dusty or dry.

You need to regularly change your heater's filter to ensure good interior air quality. However, once your heater becomes very old, your filter might not be adequate to remove contaminants from air that goes through your system.

If the air inside your home seems dusty or dry even right after you change your unit's filter, you may need a new unit. 

The pilot light on your unit is burning yellow instead of blue.

A properly functioning pilot light on a heating unit or furnace should burn blue. This means that the flame is consuming as much oxygen as it should be. 

A pilot light that burns yellow indicates that the flame is not getting as hot as it should. This can detract from the effectiveness of heating equipment and could indicate that components or even the entire unit needs to be replaced.

Your unit is making strange noises.

Heaters often make strange noises when they begin to malfunction. This noisy operation not only indicates possible heater problems, but could become distracting and detract from the comfort of those in your home.

Your electric bills have gone up lately and you don't know why.

A malfunctioning heating unit will consume excessive amounts of energy. Any time your utility bill goes up without explanation, it could indicate that your heater needs to be looked at and replacement needs to be considered.

Your unit is frequently short cycling.

Short cycling occurs when your heater shuts off automatically before achieving the designated air temperature. Some of the possible issues that could cause short cycling include dead batteries, a bad fan control, or thermostat setting issues. 

Contact a company like A & E Heating and AC Inc for additional information.