How Do You Identify Heater Issues?

Heaters are essential during the winter season for individuals living outside America’s sun-belt.

Unfortunately, heaters are not simple systems. In fact, each heating system, whether it’s a furnace, a water heater, a gas heater, or a space heater, has complex integrated parts. Each of these parts can experience a plethora of issues.

Heating repair technicians go through years of training to ensure they can troubleshoot any conceivable issue encountered. However, until someone realizes they have a problem, they can’t have professionals check it out. Sometimes, people see a small problem and call a technician and spend money they could have saved by simply educating themselves.

Figure Out Your Furnace’s Basic Parts

You might not want to go out and become an HVAC engineer. However, there are simple steps you can take to gain a greater understanding of how your heater functions.

Learn the location of your furnace’s air filter. You can check this frequently for dirt, grime, and other obstructions that may have found their way into the heating system, like coins or other small objects. Keeping your filter clean is simple, provides some preventative maintenance, and improves your overall indoor air quality.

Figure out your electrical systems. If you figure out where your heater links to your home’s power grid, you will be able to quickly assess at later times whether or not your heater issues are rooted in electrical problems. This can save a lot of troubleshooting time, especially if all you need to do is flip the circuit breaker.

Learn the sound of a healthy heater. Once you are positive that your heater is functioning at 100%, turn it on and listen to the sound of its healthy heating process. This may seem extremely simple, but it is often forgotten. If this sound changes and you experience things like grinding, popping, hissing, or clanking, contact a professional.

Be educated on the smells of your heater. This may seem simple, but it’s a very important step. Sometimes a musty or dusty smell can occur when a heater is turned on after it’s been off for a season. This is normal and stems from the burning of small particles that stick to the heating elements during periods of disuse. However, if you start to smell smoke or gas, turn your heater off immediately and contact a professional, as this could be indicative of a gas leak or a faulty pilot light.

Using these steps, you can save yourself time and money this winter season. Sometimes you really do need a professional to handle your heater issues, and that’s understandable. However, by taking these simple steps you can avoid calling in maintenance crews for no reason and avoid being cold when you don’t have to. Care Temp, LLC wishes for all their customers to stay warm and safe as it begins to get cold.