How would you like your heater to tell you that it needs repairs? It’d be great if the heater could just send you a text message, or maybe put a display on the thermostat: “Just wanted you to know my blower fan motor is about to burn out. Would you like to call and arrange for a repair service to fix it?” That would make everything easy.
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, and other types of heaters with this kind of smart-tech. Maybe in the future, but for right now, you’ll have to be alert to signs you have a malfunctioning heater.
Calling for repairs is already easy, even without a computerized heating system: just contact us for heater repair in West Chester, PA and we’ll see that the problem is fixed fast and fixed right.
Some Heater Repair Signs
A heating system that isn’t working the way it should can give off different types of warnings: sounds, smells, and sights. Of course, there’s also the best warning of all a heater is having problems: your home is colder than it should be!
- Cold spots: If your house isn’t getting warm enough, you’ll have a good idea that something’s wrong. But a more subtle warning to watch for is when certain rooms are colder than others. This often means the heating system is starting to lose power and the most distant rooms are the first affected. The problem might be due to poor insulation, air escaping around a window, or a blocked vent. But if you can’t determine why the room is cool, have an HVAC technician take a look at the heater and the ductwork.
- Strange sounds/louder sounds: A heating system that starts making sounds you’ve never heard from it before is probably malfunctioning. If the heater is making a large racket as it runs, that’s always an indication of a problem (in fact, if the heater is old enough, it usually means it’s time to have a new system installed).
- Spiking energy bills: Keeping track of your energy bills each month will give you a good idea what you pay on average to heat the house during the winter. Look out for any sudden rise in those costs. If you haven’t been using the heating system more than usual, this price rise can mean a heater that’s overworking because it has a malfunction.
- Acrid smells from the vents: If you use a furnace or heat pump, watch out for any burning smells from the vents. This odor is normal when the system comes on for the first time during the season (it’s dust burning off the exchanger and getting blown out of the ventilation system), but if you smell it at other times, it’s a warning of a motor that’s on the verge of burning out.
- Short-cycling: Have you noticed the heater turning on and off more than usual, like four times an hour? This is called short-cycling, which means the heater isn’t completing a full heating cycle before it shuts down. Short-cycling does big damage to a heater, no matter the type, because of all the strain it places on components. It also leads to large energy waste. There are many reasons this might happen, which is why you need professionals to look into it.
Wm. Henderson Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Inc. offers prompt and professional service throughout Delaware and Chester Counties & The Main Line.