Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Repair

Now that it is February, many homeowners are Heating__dreamstime_xl_8562476-200x300beginning to look forward to the coming of the warmer weather. That being said, there is still a good amount of cold temperatures ahead of us. If you’re serious about making it through the remainder of the winter season in comfort, then you cannot ignore the signs that your heater is in trouble. We may be nearing the end of the season, but you cannot afford to put the condition of your boiler in Windsor, CO at risk.

That is precisely why acting quickly when problems with your boiler develop is a must. That way, you can schedule prompt boiler repairs in the event of trouble.

What to Look (and Listen, Feel, and Smell) For

Sometimes you’ll hear technicians telling you to keep your eyes open and to look out for boiler problems. The truth is, however, that there are a variety of different issues that may manifest. It’s not all about the problems that you can see.

  • Listen for unusual sounds coming from your boiler. Remember that a boiler does not have a fan and certain other moving parts that forced air heating systems do. That means that odd sounds may not be quite as common. You should note any booming, rumbling, boiling, or hissing sounds coming from the system, though. You could have an issue with overheating water, scale build up, or delayed ignition in your burners.
  • Feel for issues with uneven heating in your home. If you have radiators or baseboards that aren’t getting as warm as others, or cold spots in certain areas where your hydronic heating should reach, your boiler could definitely be in trouble.
  • Smell for odors of burning, or even of natural gas if you use a gas boiler. A gas leak is a major concern with any type of heating system or gas-burning appliance. Natural gas has a pungent, sulfuric odor added to it as a safeguard. Burning odors could suggest an electrical issue or soot buildup.
  • Look for signs of water leaks, especially. In some cases, you may just have a leaking valve. In others, though, the boiler itself could actually be leaking. Any signs of leaks must be examined by trained professionals. We’ll keep your boiler operating safely and effectively.

Don’t Forget to Schedule Maintenance!

Most homeowners schedule their heating maintenance service before the winter season strikes. If you are in the habit of having your system tuned up in the Spring, though, or if you just forgot to schedule boiler maintenance this year, do not go through another season without doing so. Let us get your boiler inspected, cleaned up, and tuned up, even if it is at the end of the season. This not only ensures that you get the best performance that your boiler has to offer, but it also helps to reduce the risk of repair needs.

Schedule your boiler repairs with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning for prompt, reliable service. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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One of the essential parts of a gas-powered furnace or boiler is the burner, where an ignition system burns the natural gas from the jets to create high temperature combustion gas. This gas either heats up the water in a boiler or the air in a furnace and provides the heat necessary to keep warm through a Colorado winter and any of its other cold days.

When a burner malfunctions, it will threaten your supply of heat and lower the performance of your boiler or furnace. But a faulty burner will also cost you money, as we’ll explain. To fix a burner problem, you need to call on professional heating repair in Bellvue, CO. Look to the company with a long track record, Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning: we’ve served Northern Colorado since 1934.

A Faulty Burner and Heater Efficiency

The principle way you can waste money with a heating system in your home is for it to run inefficiently: it must draw increasing amounts of energy in order to perform at the same level. For example, a furnace with a 85% AFUE rating will turn 85% of the natural gas supplied into heat. However, if the furnace develops problems, it can drop to the point that it only turns 60% of its fuel into heating power. To reach the same level of heating, it must work more and waste more.

How does the burner affect efficiency? The burner is the place where a furnace or a boiler burns natural gas. Although many other components in these systems can affect efficiency—such as heat exchangers, pumps, and air handlers—it all begins with burner. If the burner becomes dirty, making it difficult for it draw oxygen to ignite, a larger amount of gas will go to waste, and the burner will remain on longer to reach its regular heat levels.

Another possibility for waste is a burner with rust flakes in it. Corrosion of any kind will damage a furnace or boiler and needs to be avoided at all costs. Rust flakes in a burner will restrict oxygen flow, the same as with dirt and grime.

A burners connection to the gas line can become clogged, restricting gas flow. The burner will struggle to maintain enough heat to reach the temperature indicated on the thermostat, and continue to waste gas to reach it.

All of this wasted natural gas means elevated energy bills. If you notice a spike in your costs for gas on your monthly bill, you have may have a repair need in your heater… and the burner is a likely candidate.

But Don’t Try to Fix the Burner Yourself!

Repairs to gas heaters must remain in the hands of trained professionals; it’s extremely unsafe to do this work on your own. Call up the technicians at Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning (we’re available 24 hours a day) and schedule heating repair in Bellvue, CO if you suspect you have a malfunctioning heater.

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If you own a whole-house air conditioning system, you expect it to work day-in and day-out. Subpar performance is simply not an option, especially considering the rising cost of electricity these days. Coming home to find that warm air is blowing through your ducts when you’re calling for cooling can be awfully frustrating. Not only is your AC not working, but it’s actually making your home warmer. At the first sign of a problem, you need to get on the horn and call your local HVAC technician to come take a look. For air conditioning repair services in Bellevue, call Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. We can diagnose the issue accurately and provide a viable solution.

There are several possible reasons why your AC is blowing warm instead of cool air. Before you pick up the phone, however, you need to make sure that your thermostat is properly adjusted. It may have accidentally been switched or adjusted to the wrong temperature.

  • Thermostat fault. If, after checking it, you find that it is indeed correctly set, then there could be a problem with your thermostat’s operation. It may not be assessing the temperature correctly, and it cannot, therefore, communicate with the control board effectively.
  • Dirty coils. The refrigerant cycle is based on the ability of your coils to absorb and dissipate thermal energy. The outdoor unit contains condenser coils that disperse heat into the outside air by means of an exhaust fan. However, if they become dirty, then they can no longer do this effectively and you may find warm air blowing through the ducts.
  • Low refrigerant. Your air conditioning system relies on a set level of refrigerant flowing through its coils and compressor. If this level drops, then all sorts of problems can occur, including warm air. The primary cause of low refrigerant is a leak. This may be because of a puncture or corrosion.

Let one of the Bellevue air conditioning repair technicians at Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning come take a look at your AC if it blows warm air.

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