Boiler repairs is one of those things that you don’t want to wait on, but often do. You have a hot water heater that’s leaking, not producing enough heat, or is noisy. You’ve got a furnace that isn’t running correctly and needs repair or replacement. A broken boiler can cause an ice-cold draft in your home. It can interrupt your hot water supply, which is critical for your family. The good news is that you don’t have to sit and wait for the repair service to show up and fix everything. You can do some of the repairs yourself, especially with an older gas furnace that uses an outside vent.
Tips to find boiler repairs near me
- Take a walk around the house
If you’ve noticed a leak, then there may be an obvious source that can be fixed. If you have to call a repair service, remember to get them on your list after doing some of the repairs yourself.
- Check for drafts
Most of us are familiar with cold drafts in our homes during the winter. There’s also heat loss through your walls and ceilings. You want to locate where the heat is going and where it’s not. The outside vent on your furnace should face south or southwest, but if it’s facing north then you can attend to that problem with installation of insulation or other solutions.
- Locate your electric shutoff valve box (usually behind the meter).
The problem could be a tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse, or that your electrical system needs a tune-up. You don’t want to work on the furnace with electricity disconnected. To make repairs properly, you need to get an electrician to look at it first.
- Get a qualified technician to check out your furnace.
A professional can give you an honest appraisal of your furnace’s reliability and lifespan. You don’t want to overpay for repairs or replace it unnecessarily if there are no signs of serious damage or impending failure.
- Fix the problem before it gets worse
If you’re going to be forced to replace your old furnace, then do so now, before your next heating season arrives. If you only need preventive maintenance and repairs, then there’s no harm in that. You can still accomplish a lot by getting the job done yourself if you know what to do, but if it’s something you can’t fix yourself then it’s best to call a repair service that guarantees a fast response time, quality workmanship and competitive pricing.
- Troubleshooting tips for gas-fired furnaces
Directional airflow is one of the best ways to make your furnace last longer and increase efficiency. If your furnace has a single return vent, then the cold air returns directly to the furnace. The secondary blower is supposed to mix this cold air with warm air from the rest of the house, but it doesn’t always work and you can feel a draft.
Air mixing furnaces have two return vents. One has a primary blower which blows cold air into an air mixing chamber right before it heats up and returns to the furnace. A secondary blower distributes heated or cooled air around your home. This way, warm or cool air is distributed evenly throughout your home without blowing directly into your face while you are in a particular room.