You probably don’t want to start thinking about heating repairs, but it is very common to encounter repair needs when re-starting your system for the season. Sitting heaters can accumulate dust and dirt that can interfere with the working of your furnace, and if you haven’t had annual maintenance yet, you may encounter problems when you turn on your furnace for the first time. It is never advisable that you attempt to repair or poke around your furnace to see what’s happening – leave that to the experts. The pros at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling can help you with all of your gas furnace repairs in Blue Bell, PA – all you have to do is give us a call!
Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating Repair’
Common Gas Furnace Repairs
Monday, December 28th, 2015Furnace Repairs to Take Care of Before Heating Season
Wednesday, August 27th, 2014Is it already that time of year again? Or close to it? The end of summer has arrived, and with it comes concerns about keeping homes warms during the fall and into winter. If you haven’t given much consideration to your home’s furnace over the summer—and you likely haven’t—now is the time to ask yourself if the furnace is prepared to handle the cold days that will arrive within a few months.
The best way to know if your heating system can tackle another winter is to schedule a maintenance session for it. A professional technician will inspect your furnace to locate any repair needs that you should have taken care of before the chilly weather arrives. Don’t delay with furnace repairs, since a sudden cold snap could strike and leave you in a freezing house.
We offer same-day service for repairs, satisfaction guaranteed!
Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling and sign up for our maintenance program so you’ll get a head start on heating repair in Bucks County, PA.
Some repairs your furnace may need:
- Cleaning the burner – If you have a gas furnace, the burner is the component where the gas jets ignite to raise the temperature. If the burner has developed dirt and grime across it during the summer rest period, it will struggle to draw oxygen and ignite. Technicians can remove the burner and clean it off so it runs at its best.
- Replacing a malfunctioning igniter – Pilot lights are becoming less common for furnaces, and they instead use electronic ignition to start. If this igniter fails, the furnace’s burners will not activate. During maintenance, a technician will check that the igniter is working and inform you if you need to schedule a replacement.
- Repairing the blower motor – If you also have a central air conditioner, it likely uses the same blower fan to distribute air as the furnace. The motor can start to wear down and lose lubrication over the summer, or dirt along its moving parts can create strain. If you begin to hear shrieking noises from the AC, you may also have a problem for your furnace; schedule a maintenance session and whatever repair work you may need.
- Replacing broken heating elements – For electric furnaces, the heating elements are the critical part of creating warmth. If one or more the heating elements burns out, the furnace will lose its heating capacity. Technician can easily replace the broken heating elements.
When you sign up for our maintenance agreement at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling, you will receive two yearly inspections and tune-ups: one for your heater and one for your AC. You’ll also receive 10% to 15% off any HVAC service or repair and guaranteed 24 hour service, 365 days a year, so you’ll always have the heating repair in Bucks County, PA that you need to stay warm through to spring.
Why Schedule a Necessary Heating Repair as Soon as Possible?
Monday, December 16th, 2013If your heating system—whether it’s a boiler, furnace, heat pump, or hybrid—starts to malfunction and show signs that it needs to have repairs done, you have to schedule those repairs ASAP. Delaying will only cause you more grief. In this post, we’ll explain why it’s so important that you get those repairs done the moment you can.
Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has developed a large and loyal client base during our 30 years providing heating repair for Blue Bell, PA and throughout Bucks and Montgomery County. With our same-day service and satisfaction guarantee, we should be your first call when you need to schedule those necessary repairs.
Reasons to Schedule Heating Repair ASAP
- Prevent energy inefficiency: Your heater may still continue providing you with heat when it needs repairs, but it will lose its energy efficiency because it will need to work harder to maintain its regular temperature. Whether it’s broken ducts, loose fan belts, or rust, that repair requirement will force your heater to drain more power—and you’ll end up paying for that on your heating bills.
- Fend off larger repairs—or a full break down: Malfunctions in heating systems tend to spread to other components as they worsen. The longer you delay, the more likely you will need more repairs done. You also risk the worst case scenario: your heater shutting down entirely. Any flaw in the system could threaten to bring all the components to a halt, so get the work done before your heater gets pushed to the edge.
- Avoid work crunches for technicians: The winter is a busy time for HVAC specialists. If you schedule your repairs early, you won’t have to worry about long delays waiting for service when the trouble has turned serious enough that you’ve lost your heating and are stuck in a chilly house.
Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling for Repairs
At Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we guarantee satisfaction with our work. All our technicians are NATE- and EPA-certified, so you will know you’re getting quality service. We won’t leave you in the cold this winter: call us as soon as you need heating repair in Blue Bell, PA, and we’ll do our best to get right out to you and get your heater healthy once more.
What to Do If Your Furnace Keeps Turning On and Off: Warrington Heating Tip
Monday, November 12th, 2012If the Warrington home’s furnace turns on and then a short time later shuts off, this is known as short cycling. Not only is short cycling hard on your equipment, but it also greatly reduces the efficiency of your furnace. Below, we describe what you should do if your furnace is short cycling.
Causes of Short Cycling
There are a number of reasons that your furnace might be short cycling. Here are just a few of them:
- Furnace is too big – In this case, your furnace will heat your home very quickly and then shut off. As your home cools again, the furnace will turn on and heat up your home once again. Having a properly sized furnace is critical to your home’s comfort and efficiency.
- Clogged air filter – This is by far the most common cause of short cycling. When your air filter clogs, it restricts air from getting into your furnace. As your furnace heats up the heat exchanger, air is supposed to blow over the exchanger to carry the heat into your home. Without that air flow, your furnace will overheat and shut off.
- Thermostat – Sometimes, the cause of short cycling is a malfunctioning thermostat. If the thermostat isn’t working properly, it could be turning the furnace on and off mistakenly.
Why Short Cycling is a Problem
- More wear on your furnace – With all the constant turning on and off, it puts extra strain on your furnace. This increases the rate of wear and can also potentially increase repair costs.
- Reduced efficiency – With the furnace turning on and off, it doesn’t get the chance to realize any kind of efficiency that comes from running for an extended period of time.
What To Do If Your Furnace Is Short Cycling
The first thing you should do is check your air filter. If it’s dirty, you should change it out immediately. Not only can a clogged air filter cause short cycling, but it can also be the cause of other serious issues with your furnace.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, then you will most likely have to call a heating contractor. Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling offers complete furnaces services in Warrington. If your furnace is short cycling we can come to your home, diagnose the problem and offer a solution.
Steps to Take When Your HVAC System Breaks Down
Monday, September 17th, 2012If your Chalfont heating or air conditioning system breaks down, there are a few simple steps you should take before calling a professional. Here is a rundown of exactly what you should do and how these steps will ensure the system is fixed quickly and properly to help keep your family comfortable at all times.
- Check the Power – First, check the electrical power to your system. Look for a blown fuse or flipped circuit if the system won’t turn on at all. If this is the problem, watch for a recurrence. If it happens more than once, you should call a professional to fix the problem in the future.
- Check the Thermostat – Check all of your thermostats to ensure they are not only reading the proper temperature, but that they are set to the right temperature. Often, what seems like a big issue can simply be due to a thermostat being set wrong.
- Inspect the Outdoor Unit – Check outside for debris or brush around your condenser unit. This can block air flow and cause the system to shut down.
- Inspect the Indoor Unit – Check your indoor units for the same buildup of debris around them and for any other issues like dirt or dust on the coils.
- Check the Filters – While a clogged filter would not necessarily shut down an HVAC system under normal circumstances, it could lead to such a problem if it gets bad enough.
- Call a Professional – Finally, if you try everything listed above and you cannot get your air conditioner or heating system to turn back on or run consistently, now may be the time to call a Chalfont heating professional for a thorough inspection. This is when it could be a real breakdown which is likely more costly to repair.
If you have a problem with your air conditioner or heating system, definitely check common issues that could have led to the breakdown, but always call Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling if real repairs are needed.
Is Your Furnace Not Blowing Enough Air?
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012Have you ever been in your Jamison house in the winter, listening to the furnace trying to heat the house, but noticed that the whole place is still cold? If you checked the heating vents in this situation, you would probably find that there is not much air flow coming out of them, which is why you are still freezing.
It is entirely possible for the furnace to be burning away, producing hot air, without enough of that warm air ever actually being distributed through your home. So it continues to run and run, resulting in excess wear and tear on the heating system that will probably shorten its productive life, as well as keeping your whole home too chilly.
Why does that happen? There are a several common culprits for insufficient air flow from your Jamison furnace. Below is a list of the most frequent offenders, along with solutions for each:
- Cause: Dirty or broken air filter. An air filter that has accumulated too much build up or is damaged will slow down air flow in a hurry.
Solution: Clean or replace the air filter as necessary. This should be part of routine furnace maintenance in order to ensure efficient operation. Refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations to see how often you should check your air filter(s). - Cause: Damaged, corroded, broken or collapsed ductwork. Your ducts are like the road that warm air travels on. If the road is out, then no one can get through. Simple as that.
Solution: Have a professional inspect and repair your ductwork. A routine ductwork check is also part of a professional’s annual maintenance inspection. - Cause: Blower fan not blowing enough. This can be caused by a loose fan belt, or a dirty motor.
Solution: First, clean the blower fan and the area around it. It has to deal with a lot of air, so it naturally becomes dirty over time. If that doesn’t fix it, the fan belt probably needs to be replaced.
There are some other causes of improper furnace air flow, but those are the most common and easiest to detect and repair. If your heat registers are not returning any warm air at all, that is likely a different problem and you should call Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling to look at the system right away.
Bucks County Plumbing, Heating or Air Conditioning Repairs – $40 off!
Friday, February 10th, 2012Repairs to your plumbing, heating, and air conditioning system are never something that any homeowner looks forwards to. Plumbing problems can cause a lot of damage, and problems with your heating can make your home very uncomfortable until they are fixed. When you need a repair, you want to make sure that you have a contractor that you trust. You want fast, reliable service – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At Carney, we only provide the highest level of customer service and workmanship. When you hire a Carney technician, you know that you are getting one of the best in the business. And because we know that this time of year is a bad one to need any type of repair, we are offering a special deal: $40 off any plumbing, heating or air conditioning repair!* Whatever your problem, Carney PHC is ready to help!
*Cannot be combined with other offers.
Newtown Furnace Repair Service: Flame Sensor
Monday, February 6th, 2012A flame sensor is a very small and specific component of a furnace, but when it is malfunctioning, it can completely shut down the operation of your Newtown home’s furnace. To start with, let’s summarize how a flame sensor works.
The flame sensor is a rod that sits directly in the path of one of the burners in your furnace. When the burner is on, the flame passes by the tip of the flame sensor, heating it up. If the furnace is on but the flame sensor is not hot, the furnace automatically switches off to avoid a continuous gas leak. So, the flame sensor is a safety measure.
Sometimes, though, the furnace can be operating just fine, and the burners are firing perfectly, the flame sensor still sends the signal that there is no flame and shuts down the furnace. This is obviously a problem.
Often, this is just a symptom of build-up on the flame sensor that is insulating it and preventing it from heating properly. We strongly recommend that you call a professional to repair it; here are the steps that they will follow:
- Locate the flame sensor on the furnace. It is a thin metal rod that extends through a bracket and into the path of the flame as it is expelled from one of the burners.
- Turn off the power to the furnace.
- Loosen the bracket holding the flame sensor in place and gently withdraw it.
- Using fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth, gently rub away any combustion build-up that has accumulated on the end of the flame sensor.
- Making sure all the build-up has been removed, replace the flame sensor in the bracket. Turn the furnace back on to test it.
If all went well, the furnace should remain on now, until the desired heating temperature is reached. Most often, the problem is as simple as giving the flame sensor a good cleaning up. Since you are dealing with quite delicate equipment, you can understand why it is so important to call in a professional if suspect a problem with your flame sensor.
Basic Home Heating Safety Tips
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012While you should schedule a yearly maintenance visit with a qualified HVAC technician to check for any safety concerns, you can also reduce potential safety hazards in the heating system of your North Wales home. Whether you have a furnace, heat pump, or boiler, you can substantially decrease the chances of dangerous situations with a few minor routine tasks.
If you have any questions about how to better maintain your heating system, give Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling a call to speak with one of our expert HVAC technicians. Here are a few guidelines to get you started.
Ventilation in Forced-air Systems:
- Regularly vacuum and clean out your heating vents and fan blower.
- Check the condition of your chimney and vent pipe to make sure that none of the parts are damaged or show signs of deterioration.
- Test the thermostat occasionally to make sure your heating system is working at optimal levels. There could be a safety concern if your heater is not properly heating your home.
Heat Exchangers:
- Heat exchangers should be inspected often to prevent carbon monoxide leaks. Check for any obvious issues, such as rust or other damages.
- The heat exchanger for furnaces should be inspected by a professional once a year in case there are hidden problems with the equipment, or if any of the components need to be replaced.
- Check the pilot light in gas furnaces for any flickers or changes in color. Have someone turn up the thermostat while you watch the light, but turn off the system for five minutes first. If there are any changes, there could be a problem with the heat exchanger. Call a professional if you suspect issues with your heat exchanger.
Heating Equipment Inspections and Adjustments:
- Boilers should be drained regularly to reduce sediment buildup, in addition to testing the water level safety controls. It’s best to have a North Wales professional perform these tasks if you aren’t sure how to do them on your own.
- Adjust the temperature settings if you suspect that the heater isn’t working properly, and if it doesn’t work call a professional heating technician, or if you aren’t sure how to locate or adjust the controls.
- Check the overall equipment for cracks, rust, or any other obvious signs of damage or deterioration that could create safety hazards.
In addition to performing these tasks, call a licensed heating contractor to inspect your heating system at least once a year.
Causes of Delayed Furnace Ignition
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012Delayed ignition is usually accompanied by a loud banging or booming sound that resembles a small explosion in your gas appliance. In your New Britain home’s furnace, this can be terrifying and should never be ignored.
What Causes Delayed Ignition
Delayed ignition usually happens when you first turn on your furnace, often after a long delay between use, so usually early in the fall or late in the spring when you don’t necessarily have it on every day of the week.
What happens is moisture builds up over the course of a period of inactivity and begins to corrode the firebox in your furnace. That corrosion builds up to the point that it starts to block the ports that feed gas into the burners. When these ports get blocked, the burners down the line cannot light and when you flip the switch, they won’t light immediately.
Of course, while rust and corrosion are a risk, lint and dust can be equally problematic (and are more common if you don’t have your furnace cleaned properly each fall). Sulfur build up is also a possibility, as it is left behind by burning natural gas. It will appear as a layer of white on the surface of the burners or the pilot light.
When all of this happens and the ports are not cleaned properly, gas will build up in the chamber after it is turned on and, when it finally ignites, create the small boom sound. It doesn’t just sound like an explosion – it is one – and if ignored, it can become incredibly dangerous.
Solving the Problem
Delayed furnace ignition is an easy problem to avoid. All you need to do is have your furnace cleaned properly before turning it on each fall. A New Britain heating technician will clean the burners and ports and remove any dust, lint, rust or sulfur buildup that might block ignition and cause a delay.
When replacing your furnace, look for a device with corrosion resistant materials. You can learn more about these when it comes time to replace your furnace from a technician. Most importantly, be careful. It may be a small problem now, but if left to build up over time, that small boom can become a much larger one.