Purl's Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Why Won’t My Heater Stop Running?

Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

question-mark-badgeWhen you set your furnace or other home heating system to come on, and then nothing happens, you’ll instantly know you have a problem. It might be a simple issue, like a tripped circuit breaker or clogged air filter. It could a more serious malfunction, and in that case you’ll need the assistance of HVAC professionals to inspect and repair your heating in Fresno, CA or elsewhere in the Central Valley.

There’s a flip side to this: a heating system that comes on and won’t shut off. When this happens, not only will the heating system waste immense amounts of energy and risk suffering permanent damage, but the house can become overheated, stuffy, and unpleasant. Why does this happen? What can be done about it?

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Cracked Heat Exchanger: Do I Need a New Furnace?

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

natural-gas-burnerWe’ve written before about the importance of having your furnace’s heat exchanger regularly checked by a professional. This is a part of our routine preventive maintenance program, the Ultimate Service Agreement, and it’s a vital inspection to make sure that a furnace operates as safely as possible. What our technicians look for when they examine a heat exchanger is signs of cracks along it or corrosion that can lead to those cracks. A cracked heat exchanger can allow toxic combustion gases to escape into the airflow moving into the rooms around a house—a dangerous situation!

Furnace owners often feel nervous when they learn their furnace may pose a safety risk. This leads to the question whether they should have the furnace repaired—which means replacing the heat exchanger—or instead have a new gas furnace installed.

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Remember These Winter Heating Energy-Saving Tips

Monday, December 4th, 2017

hand-setting-thermostatA long winter doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, as long as your home is outfitted with the ideal heating system, such as a powerful natural gas furnace. But too often people associate using the heater with paying extremely high winter utility bills. Chances are, though, that those heating bills are unnecessarily high and can be brought down with a few steps and precautions.

If you’re tired of paying too much for your home heating in Fresno, CA or elsewhere in the Central Valley during the winter, we have some important tips to follow. These measures will cut down on heating costs and also reduce the strain on the heating system, giving it an overall longer service life with fewer repair needs.

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It’s Not Too Late for Your HVAC Maintenance for Winter!

Monday, November 20th, 2017

hands-opening-heating-cabinetIt looks like we’re going to enjoy a warm—or at least moderately cool—Thanksgiving here in the Central Valley. We can’t expect this to last, of course. By the end of December, the heating systems in our homes will be working regularly, and they’ll keep up their hard work through until April.

The takeaway from this is that you still have time left to have major problems with your heating system fixed before the heater gets down its the hard winter work. And, if you haven’t yet scheduled regular fall maintenance for your heating system, it’s still fall and not too late to have it done. Simply put, you shouldn’t miss your heating maintenance for the year. It’s better late than never, and right now it’s definitely not too late.

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Electronic Ignition in a Furnace: Why It’s Better Than a Pilot Light

Wednesday, November 15th, 2017

inside-a-gas-furnaceIf you’ve had the same furnace in your home for many years, you’re probably accustomed to it having a pilot light. If you have newer furnace, or you’re planning on having one installed in the near future, it probably doesn’t use a pilot light at all. Instead, an electronic ignition system ignites the burners. In fact, you rarely see standing pilot lights on newly manufactured furnaces anymore. Why did this change happen? Let’s take a look.

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How to Prepare Your HVAC System for the Winter Months

Monday, October 30th, 2017

capsAlthough the official start of winter doesn’t arrive until the third week in December, the cooling in the Central Valley often sets in earlier. Right now, we are still experiencing warm days, but the nights are developing a chill. Once Daylight Savings time ends in November, we can anticipate a faster change in the temperatures to the colder side. Right now is the time to see that your HVAC system is prepared for the change in seasons. Here’s what you can do to help prepare it.

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Selecting the Correct Heating System Type

Friday, October 13th, 2017

home-basement-furnaceAre you looking into having a new heating system installed this fall? It’s a great season to schedule this kind of major HVAC job: you’ll be ready in time for the winter cold, and it’s easy to have it arranged with our installers at a convenient time.

Picking the right new heater can be a bit tricky, however. Let’s take a look at some of the choices we’ll help you make when shopping for a heating installation or replacement.

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Ways Your Local HVAC Contractor Can Help You in the Fall

Monday, September 25th, 2017

autumn-backgroundTemperatures are still warm and sometimes hot here in the Central Valley as we enter into the official beginning of fall. You’ll need to keep a close watch on your AC during this time to catch repair issues, but this is also a period to begin preparing for the colder days of later fall—and the winter after it. We’re here to help you with whatever you need for HVAC in Fresno, CA. In fact, we have a couple ideas for how we can be of service to you this season.

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Why Is My Furnace Tripping the Circuit Breaker?

Monday, February 13th, 2017

natural-gas-burnerHere’s a heating malfunction that might happen in your home during the winter:

The temperature outside is dropping, and it’s time to fire up your home’s furnace to keep everyone cozy. You go to the thermostat and adjust the temperature for warmth. But as the furnace comes on, it abruptly shuts down. You check on the circuit breaker panel, and find that one of the breakers has tripped. You re-set it, turn on the furnace again… and it once more trips the circuit breaker and shuts down.

What’s going on? And what can you do about it?

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Freezing Weather Ahead: Is Your HVAC System Maintained and Ready?

Monday, December 26th, 2016

The cold winter weather has arrived. But we can anticipate much colder in the first months of the New Year. When the outdoor temperatures drop below freezing, you’re HVAC system will undergo an immense amount of stress to provide your family with the warmth it absolutely requires. This leads to the Big Winter Heating Question: Is your HVAC system ready for freezing weather?

We’ll take a closer look by asking a few questions.

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