When the Surrey winter starts creeping in, it’s important that we prepare our homes for it to be equipped for winter. One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is ensuring that your furnace is in good working condition. Being left without a heater during the ice-cold winter will result in great discomfort.
Leaving a strange noise or a rattling sound that comes from your heating system might because of greater concern. It’s vital to your family’s safety and comfort to know the signs of a breaking unit and when to phone a repairman.
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UNIT OVERVIEW
Furnaces can be quite complex and therefore not many homeowners understand exactly how it works. To give you a quick overview of what your furnace system consists of, read along.
There are four main types available in homes and on the market: gas, dual fuel, electric, and oil-powered. In most recent times, gas furnaces are being installed because they are more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly. Using fresh air from outdoors, gas-powered furnaces can reach a fuel efficiency of up to 98%.
Typically, a unit consists of a few basic parts, no matter whether it’s one or two-stage. Parts within a unit are the air filter, burners, hot surface ignitor, supply plenum, blower motor, return ducts, and thermostats.
Learn more about different types of heating systems for your home here: https://smarterhouse.org/heating-systems/types-heating-systems. Because the system is so intricate, it’s important that you have a qualified and skilled technician do regular check-ups instead of trying to fix it yourself.
WHEN SHOULD I CALL A PROFESSIONAL?
The biggest mistake that most homeowners make is to leave minor problems up to fate. Neglecting to report a minor problem can turn into a major problem with massive repercussions.
Here are a few tell-tale signs for when you should phone furnace repair or installation in Surrey:
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A fan is Constantly Running
Furnace fans shouldn’t always be running. When this happens, it should be cause for concern. Most modern units have an ‘auto’ setting that allows the fan to blow once it’s amidst a warming cycle. If it’s blowing continuously while set to ‘auto’ – something is wrong.
This is a problem that can usually be fixed with a closer inspection as it might mean that the manual limit switch has been set to ‘override’. In more severe cases, it could be a serious problem in the wiring.
After making a few switch adjustments, your fan is still blowing, stop fiddling with the unit and phone an experienced and trained technician to look into the problem.
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Regular Maintenance and Check-Ups
With heating systems, prevention is better than cure. Contact your Sureguard furnace repair service to schedule regular maintenance and check-up visits. Skilled technicians will be able to clean filters and unblock vents. When filters aren’t cleaned regularly it can prevent air from flowing through – this will leave your home icy cold.
Skilled technicians will also be able to assess the state in which your furnace is in. They’ll be able to recommend either replacing filters or other parts that are broken. Making sure that your unit gets regular visits from a skilled technician will guarantee a warm winter without any unforeseen problems.
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Foul Smell
When it comes to piping or vents in the walls, ceilings, and floors of your home a foul smell is never a good sign. If it’s a newly installed furnace, a strange smell is very normal. A burn-like smell will be in the air because the unit is burning dust that has been left on different parts during installation.
But after a few uses, the smell should disappear completely. If it doesn’t disappear, then you need to call the technician who installed it.
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Rattling Noises or Banging
HVAC systems, especially newer models, are designed to be quiet. This ensures that the home remains a peaceful haven without being noisily polluted throughout the day and night.
Some noises aren’t caused for concern as it might just be the metal expanding after it has been exposed to low temperatures. Stay aware of the different sounds coming from the furnace, when you hear something out of the ordinary it might be something serious.
A continuous rattling sound might indicate that there is a part loose or even that the blower wheel is out of alignment. When loose parts aren’t fastened as soon as possible, they will damage the rest of the unit and will cause expensive damage that could’ve been prevented.
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Egg Smell
Especially for those homes who have a gas-powered furnace, they should be extra cautious to eggy smells. An egg smell that comes from the unit can be an indication of a gas leak.
Typically, gas is colorless and odorless. This makes it difficult to see and smell. Luckily, manufacturers have been clever in that they added the material mercaptan to gas lines. When combined with natural gas, it creates a rotten egg smell.
Homeowners should never wait for an eggy or sulfuric smell to just fade away as it is an extremely dangerous hazard in the house. When gas gets in contact with an open flame it can cause disastrous fire. To understand how gas flows through a furnace and what happens when there are gas leaks, watch this video to learn more.
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Re-lighting the Burner
You shouldn’t be relighting your furnace’s burner all the time. When the unit’s pilot burner goes out a relight might be needed, but not more than once or too often. Once the furnace is lit, it should stay lit to create heating.
In some cases, it could be that an airflow draft is causing the light to go out or that the burner just needs some cleaning. If you’ve eliminated the basic problems and it is still happening, then you should phone the repairman.
Furnace repair and installation tasks can be quite complex. If homeowners try to fix the problems themselves, they might cause gas leaks or inhale carbon monoxide. Keep your family safe by calling in professional furnace repair technicians instead of trying to fix it yourself.
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