October 10, 2024

Beware of Common Wintertime Heating Problems

The greater Reno area is a terrific place to call home, but it can get very cold and snow during the winter months. The cold and snow are especially common if your home is located at higher elevations and could last all winter. Your home’s heating system is your first line of defense against cold weather while awaiting spring’s arrival. It’s important to maintain your home’s heating system to help prevent the following common wintertime heating problems.

Heating System Cycling

Sometimes, heating systems cycle on and off for short but frequent periods without really affecting the indoor temperature. Such heat cycling is especially frustrating because it drives up your utility costs without sufficiently warming your home. The problem might be with the thermostat, a bad filter, or a defective blower. The technicians at Lincoln Heating & Air can diagnose heat cycling problems with home heating systems and fix them to keep your home affordably warm and comfortable throughout the winter months and beyond.

Poor Heat Circulation

You might notice one room is warm while an adjacent room or another that is nearby is cool and uncomfortable. That is a sign of poor heat circulation that might be due to a problem with the ventilation system of a weak blower motor on the heater. The condition is even worse if one room feels too hot while another feels too cold.

Your home’s thermostat will try to equalize the temperature, which could cause it to run too much. An inspection by an experienced Lincoln Heating & Air technician could identify the problem. It might be as simple as air leaking through some windows or possibly a heating system repair that is needed.

Heater Stops Working

One of the worst problems that might occur is when the heating system stops working at all. The sudden loss of heat in your home during the dead of winter could lead to health problems, like pneumonia, which could become life-threatening conditions. Winter weather could affect your home’s heating system by frosting over a heat pump if your home heating system uses one. Whatever the problem might be, whenever the heater stops working, an emergency heater repair service can diagnose the problem and fix it so your home is warm and safe on the coldest winter days and nights.

Leaking Gas and Carbon Monoxide

The most dangerous conditions that could affect your home and your family’s health are a gas leak or carbon monoxide leaking from your heating system. A defective gas line or a poor connection could cause gas to leak into your home and possibly cause one or more people to suffer from asphyxiation. A defective heating system also might not completely burn the gas and give off potentially deadly carbon monoxide gas that could fill an area of your home or the entire space and claim lives.

It’s important to have an experienced heating and cooling technician inspect and maintain your home’s heating system every fall before its peak season for use arrives during the winter. The technician can inspect any gas lines and connections and maintain, repair, or replace them as needed. The technician also can ensure the system is burning natural gas, propane, or any other fuel that you might use to make the heater work. Replacing dirty filters and ensuring the ventilation system is also working properly will help make your home heating system safer and more effective throughout the winter.