New Hampshire experiences freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and long cold spells throughout the winter months. As a result, you need a reliable heating system that keeps your family safe and comfortable. Unfortunately, when your heating system is working much harder due to the lower outdoor temperatures, even small problems can turn into major system failures. Understanding what some of the common heating emergencies are and what you should do about them can help you be proactive when you experience one.
Complete Heating System Failure
One of the most stressful situations that a lot of New Hampshire homeowners experience in the winter is their heating system suddenly turning off. If your furnace or boiler shuts down during freezing temperatures, it can allow the temperature inside your home to drop significantly very quickly. There are several reasons that your system may stop producing heat.
Some of the most common include thermostat malfunctions, failed ignition systems, tripped safety switches, and electrical issues. When you experience a major problem with your heating system, it’s important to contact one of our professionals for prompt repair services. You never want to let it go without having adequate heating, as it can allow the pipes in your home to freeze fairly quickly.
Furnace Ignition Problems
All modern-day furnaces rely on an electric igniter system instead of outdated pilot lights. These systems require an electric igniter to send a spark to the burner to light it so it can burn fuel and create heat. There are many different causes of ignition issues with furnaces, including dirty flame sensors, faulty igniters, gas supply interruptions, and control panel malfunctions.
If your system is not sending a spark to the burner, you have a problem with the electric igniter. If the burner is lighting but immediately going back out, the issue likely lies with the flame sensor. You can try wiping off the sensor eye to see if it was just dirty. If it still fails, it’s likely faulty and needs to be replaced.
Carbon Monoxide Issues
A scary issue during the wintertime is your carbon monoxide detectors going off. Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas. It can be extremely dangerous to your health in high amounts. It can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and in severe cases, respiratory failure.
If the carbon monoxide alarms are going off in your home, it means that everyone should leave immediately. Your windows and doors should be left completely open to help disperse the carbon monoxide into the air outside. It’s important to contact us when you experience this issue so that we can repair your unit before you try restarting it.
There are many different reasons that your carbon monoxide detectors may be going off. These include a problem with the furnace’s heat exchanger, venting system, combustion chamber, or exhaust vent. Our technicians will get to the root cause of the issue and recommend whether repairing the system or replacing it is necessary.
Boiler Pressure Issues
With boiler systems being prominent throughout New Hampshire, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to experience pressure-related issues. When there is inadequate pressure in the boiler system, it can disrupt your heating system’s performance and require an immediate boiler repair. Low water pressure essentially prevents water from circulating properly throughout your radiators or baseboards. High pressure is a major safety concern.
Any time that the pressure gauge on your boiler is showing out of its ideal range, it’s best to shut your system down and contact us. We will thoroughly inspect things like your expansion tank, water feed system, and pressure relief valve. You should never continue to run your boiler system if it doesn’t have the right pressure, as it can lead to serious safety concerns.
Blocked Exhaust Vents
Heating systems that burn fuel have an exhaust vent. This is necessary to safely divert toxic fumes, like carbon monoxide, out of your home after the combustion process. Unfortunately, New Hampshire homes experience conditions like snow, ice, and pest activity that can block your exterior exhaust vent.
Whenever your vent becomes blocked with debris, it can cause your heating system to shut down automatically. This is a built-in safety mechanism to prevent dangerous gases from building up inside your home. Many times, our technicians can simply inspect your exterior vent and remove the obstruction. Then they can reset your system to restore heating to your home.
Electrical Malfunctions
Your heating system has several electrical components that must function together for your system to work properly. Any time there’s a failed circuit board, faulty wiring, or even a blown fuse, it can prevent your furnace or boiler from turning on. While you can try resetting a tripped circuit breaker, if a power surge went through your electrical system, call us right away. We will thoroughly test and determine the root cause of your electrical failure and repair it for you.
What Is a Heating Emergency?
Heating systems can experience a wide variety of problems. Not all of these are considered immediate, but some of them are. Understanding the differences between the two can help you seek out emergency assistance when you need it most. Heating emergencies happen when your system requires immediate attention. This means that your system poses a threat to your health or your home. A furnace emergency can pose a major risk for property damage if not addressed quickly.
Tips on Preventing Heating Emergencies
As a homeowner, the last thing you want to deal with during a cold New Hampshire winter is a heating system malfunction. Fortunately, there are various things that you can do to greatly reduce your risk of experiencing one. One of the most important things is to ensure that you get maintenance from a professional in the fall. This will prepare your system for the upcoming winter season so that it can operate both safely and efficiently.
Our technicians can easily detect problems with your unit and repair them before they turn into major system malfunctions. Additionally, it’s important that you routinely check your air filter if you have a forced-air heating system. Any time that the air filter gets clogged full of debris, it can significantly reduce the performance of your heating system. This leads to excessive wear and tear on the internal components that can break under pressure.
It’s also important to replace outdated heating systems before they completely fail. During our annual inspection, our technician can let you know when replacing your unit is likely a good idea in the coming year or two. By scheduling a replacement ahead of time, you can avoid dealing with that ultimate last failure that could leave your home without heat during freezing conditions.
Expert Heating Repair Service
Ace Heating & Cooling provides expert heating repair service in NH. We can also gladly assist with all your heating installation, replacement, and maintenance needs.
Contact Ace Heating & Cooling today to schedule an appointment to service the heating system at your home in Manchester, NH.
