Cold temperatures can do major damage to your home if it’s not properly heated. To keep your home — and your family — safe, it’s important to have a fully functioning heater. Performing routine maintenance on the system throughout the year and getting issues repaired as soon as possible can help ensure your heater or furnace works when you need it most. Call Jim Wagner Plumbing, Inc. for upfront pricing — with no hidden fees — in the Batavia, IL area.
We offer complete heating services to the Batavia, IL area, including:
- Heater Repair & Installation
- Furnace Repair & Replacement
- Boiler Services
- Radiant Heating
- Heat Pump Services
- Gas Log Fireplaces
Not ready to book an appointment with us? Read our testimonials to see why others have selected us to perform their heater and furnace repairs.
How a Malfunctioning Heater Can Affect Your Home
When your heater malfunctions, it can affect your entire household. While you might expect to be frigid in your house without the heating system functioning properly, there are also other impacts it can have, including:
- Health risks: Depending on the issue with your system, it can impact your family’s health. One of the biggest risks is if there is a carbon monoxide leak.
- Lower air quality: When it’s not functioning properly, the unit can result in reduced indoor air quality as less debris is removed from the air.
- Risk of fire: Depending on the issue with the system, it can lead to a fire risk.
- Increased monthly bills: As your unit works harder than normal to warm your home it can lead to a risk of fire.
How to Properly Maintain Your Furnace
When winter weather hits, you put a lot of demands on your furnace to keep your home warm and comfortable. To ensure it works when you need it, it’s important to keep it properly maintained all year. Ways you can keep your furnace in good working condition include:
- Schedule a yearly tune-up with a furnace service company.
- Replace your filters as recommended (about every three months). This will help remove debris from your system, which can prevent buildup and strain on your unit.
- Install a carbon monoxide monitor and have it inspected by a professional at least once a year.
- Have your furnace ducts inspected by a professional to look for leaks.
- Check the blower to look for obstructions.
- Inspect the inside of the furnace chamber for defects like rust and holes.
- Clean the burners to remove debris.
- Clean the sensor and pilot with a wire brush and emery cloth.
- Check the “high limit” on the unit to prevent overheating.
- Clean the area around the system to remove any obstructions and allow for easy access.
Reach out by phone or contact us online to schedule service with our heating pros!
Signs Your Furnace Needs to Be Repaired
To prevent having your unit breakdown in the middle of winter — when you need it to function the most — it’s important to identify signs that you need a repair as soon as possible. Some signs that can indicate you need to call a furnace service company can include:
- When your unit shuts off unexpectedly after running for less than three minutes at a time. This is known as short cycling. This could indicate an issue with your heat exchanger or your thermostat, and should be inspected by a professional.
- If you see irregular flames coming from the burner of your unit, you should seek professional help. Uneven flames – or ones that lean toward the back of the furnace – can indicate a dirty burner or a cracked heat exchanger. A cracked heat exchanger is a serious problem that should be examined immediately by a contractor, as it can lead to a dangerous carbon monoxide leak.
- Sounds like rumbling, popping or whistling can indicate a number of problems with your unit that should be inspected by a professional.
