ServiceMax Blog: Posts Tagged ‘furnace repair’

How to Early Detect Gas Furnace Problems

Monday, October 16th, 2023
technician-repairing-a-furnace

Have you started up your furnace yet this fall? If you haven’t, you’ll be doing it soon. And this is the perfect time for a little refresher course in how to keep your gas furnace happy. Annual maintenance is important, of course. But once you have that done, you should also keep an eye (or an ear) out for any problems.

Knowing the signs of common furnace issues can save you considerable time and money and help you steer clear of major inconvenience. Detecting gas furnace problems as promptly as possible helps you keep repairs small and avoid having a total breakdown in cold weather.

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The Problem With a Cracked Heat Exchanger

Monday, November 14th, 2022

Gas-powered furnaces are powerful, efficient, and safe. Their efficiency has improved wildly since they began being used in the United States, as has their effectiveness. Of course, the safety of the modern gas furnace has also improved, otherwise they wouldn’t be used in the modern household.

All that said, a worn-down furnace may develop a problem that can become an increasingly dangerous issue: a cracked heat exchanger. Here’s what you need to know.

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5 Items To Add to Your Wishlist for Your Home

Monday, December 6th, 2021
calendar-scheduling-book

It’s the time of the year when kids are getting out their pens and paper to build their holiday wishlists. Why can’t adults join in the fun? We realize that wishing for new furniture or a better keyboard for your computer doesn’t exactly have the same impact as wishing for a new toy, but it can still be fun to participate.

In fact, we decided to get into the spirit too. We are home comfort pros first and foremost and we want to make sure that you aren’t left wishing you have a more comfortable indoor environment this year. That’s why we’ve put together a small “wishlist” that you should check out.

Here are some great ideas of things to add to your wishlist that will help your home. And you can go ahead and call us Santa because we are here to provide!

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The Most Important Furnace Repair to Make

Monday, December 30th, 2019

furnace-burners-smallThere are a variety of furnace repairs that you may need to make throughout your system’s service life. However, there is one particular repair need that is more important than most others simply because it involves the safety of you and everyone else in your household.

We are discussing the heat exchanger. The repair that may need to be made is if that heat exchanger has a crack in it. Not only can this issue create a problem with your furnace’s ability to heat your home but it can be fairly dangerous too.

If and when you encounter the need for furnace repair in Chicago, IL, whether it is a filter replacement or a cracked heat exchanger, make sure you work with e pro to get the job done right.

For now, however, let’s delve into why you should be concerned about a cracked heat exchanger.

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Shutting Down Your Gas Furnace at the End of the Season

Monday, March 26th, 2018

furnace-burner-flamesThe change of seasons is coming up, and I’m sure everyone here in Chicagoland is looking forward to warmer weather. We still have a few more weeks of temperatures in the 40s and possible cold snaps, but this is the time of year to prepare a home for the seasonal shift.

Should those preparations include a gas furnace shutdown? It’s a question people often ask, and we’ll provide you with an answer.

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Repairs an Electric Furnace May Need

Monday, October 23rd, 2017

wrenchesGas power for homes is widespread, but gas mains can’t reach every residential property. In some cases, homeowners prefer to rely entirely on electricity in their homes because of safety concerns from natural gas. Whatever the situation, a home relying solely on electrical power can still have a furnace to provide comfort during the frigid winters in Chicago. Electric furnaces are a popular choice when it comes to home comfort: they’re less expensive to install than gas furnaces and can often outlast them.

To get the longest service life from an electric furnace so you receive those extra years, always schedule annual heating maintenance. Our technicians will help see you have as trouble-free a heating system as possible! However, nothing is able to prevent all potential malfunctions, and at some point your electric furnace may need heater repair in Oak Park, IL.

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Help Your Furnace, Water Heater, and Ducts Recover from Flooding

Monday, August 14th, 2017

flooded-living-roomThe Chicagoland area, in particular many of the northern suburbs, was hit with severe flooding this summer from heavy rains. Flooding advisories along the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers as well as the North Branch of the Chicago River led in some cases to evacuations and record high flood levels (up to five feet deep in some places) and causing other damage like sink holes.

The flooding and heavy rains are gone now, but that doesn’t mean that everything goes back to normal. Flooding leaves damage to a home and in particular it can harm parts of the HVAC system, such as furnaces, air conditioning, and ductwork. Now that the rains have receded, it’s time to have repair work done to any parts of your home’s HVAC system that may have sustained water damage. Our team has the experts to contact for this service: we have years of experience with the effects of local weather conditions and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our heating, ventilation, and water heater services in Highland Park, IL and elsewhere.

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My Furnace Keeps Tripping My Circuit Breaker

Tuesday, January 10th, 2017

The last thing you want to happen on a cold winter day is to turn on the furnace to heat your home, only to have the furnace immediately stop working. When this happens, we recommend that you check on the electrical panel to your home to see if a circuit breaker has been tripped. If one has, reset the breaker and try the furnace again. If the furnace turns on, but then immediately trips the circuit breaker again, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

(Yes, a gas furnace can trip a circuit breaker. Natural gas furnaces do rely on a number of electrical components, such as the blower motor fan and the electronic ignition system. This isn’t just an electric furnace problem.)

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Why Is There a Burning Smell from My Furnace?

Monday, December 5th, 2016

We’ve now come to the time of year when furnaces fire up and stay running for long stretches at a time. But as you get ready to enjoy a cozy home, you may detect an acrid odor coming from the vents. Does this mean there’s something seriously wrong with the furnace, possibly something that’s a safety hazard? Do you need to call our technicians to come fix it?

We’ll take a look at what these burning odors may mean, and what to do about them.

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3 Furnace Warning Signs as Cold Weather Starts

Monday, November 7th, 2016

‘Tis November, and that means the winter is just looking over the edge of the calendar. The colder weather is already starting as temperatures routinely drop down into the 50s. Much worse is coming, of course, but this is a time when you can expect to start running your gas furnace on a regular basis. And it’s also a time to pay close attention to how it runs. If there are any minor issues with it during the early season, you want to have them repaired before the extreme cold hits and HVAC technicians have crammed schedule. Early repairs will also help stop an emergency when the furnace stops working altogether on a freezing cold day.

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