When your furnace breaks down, it disrupts everything. It’s even worse when winter hits and you rely on heat to stay comfortable. At Sound Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., we see these issues often. Two common furnace problems are a unit that won’t run in the winter and a gas smell in the house. Both need quick attention. With professional furnace repair in Auburn, WA, we can help prevent these problems and keep your home comfort system running smoothly.
Furnaces are very sturdy and reliable systems which is why many homeowners invest in this particular type of heater. They can last 15 years and some might even last longer. But once you hit the 15-year mark, it’s time to pay closer attention to how your furnace is operating so you can identify the signs for when it’s time to upgrade your furnace.
When you understand the signs that your furnace’s performance isn’t quite up to snuff, it’s easier for us to stay ahead of any repairs or system breakdowns. Then, when it’s time for furnace replacement in Federal Way, WA, you know who to call. Our team can answer your questions and get your furnace replaced quickly and efficiently when the time comes.
When cold weather arrives, your home’s furnace will go to work to ensure your family remains comfortable through the season. With the right planning—such as routine maintenance done in the fall with professionals—you shouldn’t experience serious trouble with your furnace.
Still, nothing can stop all furnace malfunctions. If you have a furnace that isn’t providing enough heat to the house, or isn’t providing any heat, you may need to call us for furnace repair in Kent, WA. We have 24-hour emergency service to see that you receive the assistance you need when you need it. Below we’re going to look into six reasons you may have a furnace that’s falling down on the job.
First off, you may be wondering what a heat exchanger is. If you have a gas-powered furnace, this is a clamshell-shaped object within it that performs an essential part of the heating process. Heat exchangers are unimpressive looking to the untrained eye, but they are of vital importance. This is where hot combustion gasses go after being produced by the burners.
These gasses transfer heat to the walls of the exchangers, and venting pipes remove the cooled exhaust from the gas while fans funnel air through and around the exchangers to receive the heat from their walls. Without heat exchangers, the heat from the gas jets would never reach your indoor air, and you’d feel nothing more than room temperature air wafting from the vents—which, in the winter, can be pretty uncomfortable!
As the temperatures begin to drop, this is certainly not a scenario you want to find yourself facing. The sound of silence as you expect your furnace to cycle on “any moment now” is ominous. Of course, this is a sign that something is wrong—but what is it?
There are a variety of reasons that your furnace may refuse to turn on. Some issues you may be able to resolve on your own, quickly. Others, however, will require the professional services of an expert heating technician, such as one of the members of our staff. Keep reading to learn more about the causes of furnace failure.
A common term you’ve likely heard many times and seen even on this page is “preventive maintenance.” We cannot stress the importance of having your furnace maintained before the winter season comes. You don’t want to be stranded in the middle of cold weather with a broken-down furnace. But is this all that maintenance prevents—a breakdown?
Actually, there are a number of benefits to furnace maintenance, and a variety of problems that can easily be avoided by scheduling this service on a yearly basis. Keep reading to learn more about what exactly furnace maintenance prevents.
Gas furnaces in Tacoma are very complex pieces of equipment. Modern ones in particular are designed to use as little gas as possible, and to recapture as much of the heat generated from burning that gas as can be done safely. One of the many safety and energy-efficient advances in furnace technology in the least twenty years is the electronic ignition.
In older furnaces and boilers, a pilot light would stay lit continuously whenever the heating system needed to be available. That meant continuously burning gas throughout the fall, winter and spring months for those times when heat was needed. It was inefficient and unsafe, especially in older devices that didn’t have safety valves.
Today, furnaces are built with electronic ignitions – small devices that only ignite the gas supply when the thermostat is on. there are two types of electronic ignition used in boilers and furnaces today.
Both devices are designed to use a very small amount of electricity and reduce the amount of gas needed for continuous operation of your furnace.
While gas efficiency was a big part of the transition from pilot lights to electronic ignition, safety was an equally big component. Whereas before, the pilot light was continuously lit, meaning gas was continuously flowing into the furnace, today’s furnaces are essentially off when not in use. This means less of a chance that gas will flow unburned or that the pilot will get dirty or burn too soft, releasing carbon monoxide.
If your furnace or boiler still uses a traditional pilot light, consider having it upgraded to electronic ignition, not just to save gas but to keep your home and family safer. Call Sound Heating for more information.
