Signs You Need to Repair Your Hot Water Boiler

Hot water boilers are a great alternative to furnaces when it comes to keeping your home nice and toasty during the colder months. When summer rolls along, however, most boiler systems are out of sight and out of mind for most homeowners. Don’t be one of those homeowners.

The summer months are the perfect time to inspect your hot water boiler. In the event you do find a sign of damage, heating contractors are readily available, unlike during late autumn and the entirety of winter. With that in mind, here are a few signs you should look out for:

Safety Valves

Start your inspection by turning the safety valve. If the safety valve is rusted or loose, have it replaced immediately. Your safety valve is the last line of defense against a malfunctioning boiler system, so always make sure that it is working properly.

Pressure Tank

Your pressure tank should be full of warm air. Accumulation of water is a sign that the tank is experiencing problems and may break down soon.

Pilot Light

If your pilot light goes out suddenly, you may have a draft in the area. If there is no draft, then your gas supply may be loose. If you suspect this and smell gas in the air, evacuate your home and call a professional immediately.

Common Bad Habits of Shady HVAC Contractors

Your HVAC system ran into a gridlock and is in need of immediate servicing. If you’re not savvy enough yet to size up the kind of repairman you need for the job, before, there’s the possibility that you’ll come across a shady contractor who is looking out to take advantage of clueless customer. Wise up and arm yourself with some hiring smarts and know how to spot the shifty service technicians.

Making price quotes for system installations or major repair work on the phone.

Trust it when you’re told that no reputable contractor will give out a price estimate until the system in question is personally checked out by the company’s technicians. If the contractor you’re currently negotiating with does the same exact thing, release him without question.

Pricing that’s too good to be true.

Identifying this is easy if you already have a pre-determined list of HVAC contractors with their estimated pricing clearly indicated. If the repair rates are too low compared to those on your list, don’t risk it. HVAC repairs are very delicate jobs and cheap costs here often mean sub-standard workmanship. There is also a chance that this contractor is planning to unreasonably spike the bill up midway through the job with numerous hidden fees; notwithstanding using cheap or counterfeit parts which can further damage your system.

Rules by thumb.

Contractors which skip formal equipment sizing are just plain lazy. Instead of using recognized measurement methods, they only guess. Avoid them before it’s too late to back out.

Identifying the Common Problems Plaguing Your Heating System

Your heating system keeps you warm during cold nights. You usually don’t give it much thought when you turn up the thermostat. You only really notice it when they break down and you’re shivering under your blanket.

Before you call the repairman, see if you can find out what’s wrong with it first. Here are several common problems that crop up with a residential heating system: