Heating Services FAQs
Get Answers to Common Questions About Heating Services
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What causes a furnace to stop working?
A common cause of furnaces not working is clogged furnace filters. If a furnace filter is clogged, it can make the unit overheat, which can activate sensors and cause an automatic shut down.
What causes the pilot light to go out?
A pilot light can go out for a number of reasons, including:
- Dirty thermocouple
A dirty thermocouple is like having really dirty glasses on. It can detect a flame that isn’t there, causing the gas valve to turn off. - Dirty pilot orifice
A dirty pilot orifice might sound like part of a bad joke, but in all seriousness, it can prevent the flame from reaching the thermocouple. A weak, yellow flame is a sign of a dirty pilot orifice. - Faulty gas valve
A dirty or malfunctioning gas valve may not let enough gas through to properly keep the pilot light lit, therefore causing the flame to be weak or go out altogether. - Gas supply issues
- A low or out gas supply can cause the pilot light to go out. This can also be caused by a local gas supply issue, such as reduced pressure or a complete outage.
- Bad gas regulator
- A broken gas regulator can prevent the furnace from getting enough gas to keep the pilot light lit.
What is a hydronic heating system?
Boilers warm your home using hot water or another type of liquid, whereas furnaces heat and blow air. Using water or fluid is where the term hydronic comes from. Household style or small commercial boilers heat but don’t actually boil water, and then they disperse it as a hot liquid through pipes to radiators, coils, or radiant floor systems. Boilers could be compared with an automotive gas engine – heat is made through combustion and then goes to a radiator where the heat is dispersed.
Is a Hydronic Heating System and a boiler system the same thing?
Hydronic heating means heating with water. This heat can come from electrical, gas, or solar sources. Boilers can directly or indirectly heat water for drinking and or for heating.
How Often Should I Change My Furnace Filter?
Furnace filters should be monitored throughout the “furnace season,” meaning when your furnace is getting the most use – fall, winter, and spring. Furnaces can also be used for cooling (Air Conditioning) as a means of moving the air. In this case, the furnace will move the air through a cooling system instead of a heating system. If your home or business use your furnace to move air throughout the year, filters may require more frequent changes.
Other factors affecting how often furnace filters should be changed include doing renovations in your home (creates more dust in the air), having pets who shed, and having smokers in the home.
How Much Does a New Furnace Cost?
Prices vary depending on the size of furnace (usually given in BTU output), model/features of the furnace, installation requirements, and the region where you live. The size of your home or business and the square footage of space to be heated will dictate the size of furnace you need.
Your best bet is to contact a Plumber to come out and assess your needs.
How Long Should A Furnace Last?
Sadly, they don’t make them like they used to with cast iron parts. However, furnaces today are a lot more efficient in heating and maintaining temperatures in homes and businesses. A well-maintained and regularly serviced furnace should last you many years, and if or when it does fail, a repair is most likely the way to keep them running for many more.