Test Your Heaters Before They Test You

Summer’s coming to a close and the beautiful fall months are ahead. Time to whip out the sweaters and stock up on the hot chocolate. But most important of all, make sure your heater is in full working order. Suddenly the cold is not so beautiful when it’s sitting in your living room.

Be on the lookout for heating malfunctions, you don’t want the dropping temperatures outside your home to be inside. It is important to prevent a heater emergency before it becomes a dangerous issue.

Look Out for Thermostat Problems

Is your heater not working like it’s supposed to be? Start with the thermostat! It could easily be a thermostat issue, rather than a heater issue.

While we recommend having an electrician inspect your thermostat for malfunctions, there are a few things you can do superficially to ensure any heating issues are not coming from your thermostat.

Always make sure the settings are set correctly. It is recommended to set your indoor temperatures 5 degrees higher or 5 degrees lower than your normal setting, depending on the season. Playing with the temperature excessively can damage your HVAC system. Ensure that it is set to “heat,” or “cool,” and that it is doing just that.

You can also remove the cover of the thermostat gently, and inspect if any wires are loose or out of place. If the issue is simple enough to reattach wires or screw them back in place, try it. If the problem seems a little more complex, leave it to a professional.

Check the Circuit Breaker

A common reason why heaters stop working in a home is if the circuit breaker has interrupted the flow of electricity to your system. This happens when a sudden surge or short circuit occurs, and the circuit breaker has detected a failure.

How to know your circuit breaker interfered with your heating:

• There’s a burning smell in the electrical panel.
• The switch will not turn back on.
• It simply looks very old

If you see that the switch for your heater has turned ‘off,’ simply push it all the way off and then switch it back to the ‘on’ position. That should be enough for a system reset.

If your breaker keeps tripping and refusing to reset, try unloading the number of appliances you have plugged into that current. If that still doesn’t work, we recommend having an electrician inspect the problem.

THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS, don’t get adventurous.

Could It Be a Blown Fuse?

Older homes might have a fuse box rather than a circuit box, but the rules still apply. These are usually located outside of the home in a garage space, or basement. If you live in an area that floods frequently, ensure your fuse box will not be affected by possible water damage.

How to identify a blown fuse:

• Burns on the panel.
• A broken metal line.
• Cloudy glass top.
• Melted wires.

Always replace fuses with their proper burning type, and ensure you have a variety of fuses on hand in case you have an emergency. If upon replacing the blown fuse there is no change to your heating system, it may be time to turn to the pros.

If tending to any of the aforementioned problems doesn’t help identify your heating issue, that’s where we come in. At LenAire, Inc., we provide heating repair and replacement services year-round. Don’t wait until your home becomes an igloo, call us today!