Heating emergencies can leave you in the cold, endanger your
house's contents, or even endanger your family's health. If you experience one
of the below heating emergencies, find a heating company that offers 24/7
emergency services to help you.
1. Strange Noises
While most heating systems might make noise as they run or
turn on or off, some noises are not good to hear. For instance, you probably
don’t want to hear popping, squealing, grinding, or rattling noises. While the
causes behind them vary, the sounds often can indicate a major emergency.
For example, what does each sound possibly indicate?
- Banging or booming: A
bang or boom from your furnace could mean a dirty burner. Dirty burners
delay ignition, which, in turn, builds up gas. This gas buildup can mean a
potential explosion.
- Squealing or whining: Your
blower motor could have stuck bearings or bad capacitors. If so, then your
blower motor can overheat and cause your furnace to do so as well. If this
happens, as mentioned below, your furnace could shut down, causing a lack
of heat in the house.
- Scraping: If
something in your furnace seems to scrape, especially if it sounds like
metal against metal, you might have a loose or broken blower wheel. This
issue can cause your furnace to not heat your home.
Whatever the sound your furnace makes, you can never be too
cautious. A furnace professional can help you understand if the sound your
furnace makes is an emergency or a simple fix.
2. No Heating
Any heating system that is not producing heat is an
emergency, especially during the cold season. For one, freezing temperatures
can affect your health or even prove fatal. Also, the lack of heat might tempt
you to turn to dangerous alternative heating methods, such as open combustion
of materials.
Different things can cause this problem, depending on your
heating system. For example, a combustion furnace won't produce any heat if:
- You have not set the thermostat to heat
- It does not have fuel
- The thermostat has malfunctioned and is not reading the
right temperature
- The ignition system has malfunctioned and is not
lighting the burners
- The furnace has overheated and is shutting down as a
safety measure
Some of the problems may be minor (such as poor thermostat
setting), while others are major. However, all of them can make you suffer if
you don't diagnose and solve them.
3. CO Leak
You should also worry about carbon monoxide (CO) leakage if
you have a combustion heating system. CO is a natural byproduct of combustion.
However, the gas should vent from the heater and safely out of the house. But a
malfunction might allow the CO to leak and contaminate your house.
Common causes of CO leakage include:
- Carbon buildup in the furnace that interferes with the
combustion efficiency
- A cracked heat exchanger that allows CO to escape from
its usual channels
- A clogged air filter that starves the burners of
combustion air
- A negative air pressure that is causing backdrafting
CO leakage is dangerous on multiple levels. First, the gas
is poisonous and can even prove fatal. Second, the leakage means something is
wrong with your heating system — something that can lead to further damage if
unresolved.
You might not always know whether a heating problem is an
emergency or not. You should err on the side of caution and contact A-1
Finchum Heating if you are unsure. We understand that heating problems can
arise at any time of the day or night, which is why we offer 24/7 emergency
care. We will tell you what to do to avoid further complications and repair the
issue as soon as possible.
