Our team at Wall Heating & Air is happy to help whenever you do need heating system repair. But we also know that you would rather not need us urgently on a cold winter day! Good news: we can help you make sure you won’t end up with no heat, wearing every sweater you own while you wait for repairs.
Here are our top tips on how to avoid heating system breakdowns and keep toasty-warm all winter long.
No matter how cold it gets, your heater will not run continuously. Instead, it operates in cycles, turning on for a stretch of time until your home is warm, and then shutting off to rest while the temperature coasts slowly downward, until it gets cool enough for the heat to come on again. These cycles should last somewhere between ten and twenty minutes.
What if your heating system is cycling on and off very quickly? When your heat comes on, shuts off in a minute or two, and tries to come on again moments later, that’s called short cycling. Don’t let it continue! Here’s why.
It’s possible to have a gas furnace for most or all of your life without thinking too much about how it works. The gas is burned, right? And of course that makes heat. Simple. But there’s actually more to it than that, especially when it comes to the safety mechanisms. You can’t simply breathe the exhaust fumes from combusted gas!
Some components of your furnace make the heating possible, like the gas valve and the pilot light or electronic ignition system. Some components are only there for safety reasons, like the limit switch. Your furnace’s heat exchanger is critical for both providing heat and keeping you safe. Take good care of it, and it will take good care of you! Here’s how.
There are many ways that you might notice a problem with your heating system. One of the most common is noises: clonking or clattering, buzzing or clicking, grinding or groaning. Other possibilities include poor heat circulation, rising utility bills, or short and rapid heating cycles.
Another thing that can tip you off to a furnace issue is odor. Your heating system should not smell like anything most of the time. If you do notice a smell coming from your furnace, are repairs required? Not necessarily, but some odors indicate serious problems or emergencies.
Your furnace will always make some amount of noise. But that noise should be consistent and unsurprising. Basically, you should just hear the usual whoosh and hum. What if your furnace is making other noises? Since your furnace has limited means of communication, you should take any odd noises as a signal: your furnace needs repair! Here’s what the sounds might mean.
When something goes wrong with your furnace, especially if it happens during a cold snap, you want it dealt with right away. Scheduling an appointment at some time in the future is frustrating and inconvenient. Paying for emergency repairs when there’s an urgent heating failure on a weekend or holiday can be overwhelming.
If you’re generally a handy person, and enjoy doing projects and fixing things around the house, you might start to wonder: Is it possible to perform furnace repairs yourself?
No! We’ll explain why, but we’ll also tell you how you can troubleshoot. You might not need repairs at all!
How high is your heating bill? Most people will always say that it’s too high. In fact, according to the US Energy Information Administration, the average American spends $2,284 a year between gas and electric bills, and a significant percentage of that goes to heating. But the cost of energy aside, is your heating bill actually higher than it should be? Is your heating system wasting energy?
Because of its high financial cost and also the environmental impact, it’s important to prevent energy waste. If there’s an issue with your heating system that is causing it to consume more fuel or electricity, you need heating repair in Lawrenceville, GA before that problem gets any worse. So what might the problem be?
It’s important to be able to be warm, no matter where in your home you are. One of the most annoying heating problems is having parts of your home be an ideal temperature while others never quite get warm enough. Clearly, the heater is running … so why won’t those spaces warm up?
As the weather gets chillier, you deserve to be comfortable and cozy throughout your home. There are a variety of reasons why your heating system might not be distributing heat evenly. Here are the most likely possibilities.
It’s almost that time of year again: autumn, when the weather turns crisp, and you start to think you might need your furnace soon. But are you prepared for the cold weather? Is your furnace prepared? If the cold hits and you need to crank up the heat, will the furnace come on? What will you do if it doesn’t?
We’ve got you covered. Just follow this checklist.
