In Pursuit of Curb Appeal

With the coming of winter, it's time for you to start thinking about your heater. One small heater problem can leave you without warm air for a while. Most of the time, heating issues are caused by minor problems that are easily fixed. For instance, poor air flow through the vents can be the result of a dirty air filter. Your heater not turning on may be caused by dead batteries in the thermostat. If you're facing those types of issues, the first thing you should do is check the filter compartment and the thermostat. However, there are other issues that will require the assistance of a heater repair technician. If you're facing any of the problems listed below, it's time to call for repairs:

Pilot Light Issues

When you turn your heater on, the pilot light ignites, sending a message to the heater that it needs to fire up. In most cases, the pilot light will stay lit so that your heater can cycle on and off, as needed. However, when your heater is having problems, the pilot light may have a hard time staying lit. In fact, if the flame sensor is broken, or the pilot light compartment is dirty, the pilot will have trouble staying lit. When that happens, your heater won't work properly. You may have warm air for a minute or two, and then the heater will turn off. If you adjust the thermostat, the heater might come on again for a few minutes longer, but it will soon turn off again. If you're noticing this problem, you need a repair technician.

Frozen Heat Pump

If your heater operates with a heat pump, the freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on it. Ice buildup can freeze your pump, and prevent it from working properly. Most heat pumps have automatic defrost settings. If your heater isn't pumping warm air through to your house, check the heat pump. If it's frozen, check to make sure it's set to automatic defrost. If it isn't, adjust the settings. If it is set to automatic defrost, and it's still frozen, you need to have your heater looked at.

Blocked Air Ducts

If you've got plenty of warm air blowing through the vents in most of your rooms, but a couple of your rooms barely have any air flow at all, you've probably got some blocked ducts. When the ducts are working properly, you should have steady airflow through your entire home. However, blocked or damaged ducts can slow down the flow of air, leading to unsteady airflow through your home. If this is a problem, have your ducts inspected as soon as possible.

Check out a website like http://salemheatinginc.com/ for more information and assistance.