Boehmer Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Furnace’

5 Common Furnace Smells and What They Mean

Monday, December 18th, 2023
Girl pinching her nose against a white background

When your gas furnace is working properly, you’ll hardly even notice it. Other than the sound of it turning on and off and the whoosh of air through the vents, it shouldn’t make much noise. And at the beginning of the heating season, you’ll probably smell dust when you turn it on for the first time. But otherwise, your furnace should be operating silently and without emitting any smells.

When your furnace gives off weird smells, it’s a sign to sit up and take notice. Your furnace is trying to tell you that it’s not operating as it should. Depending on the type of smell, the issue behind it could be something that requires urgent attention by a professional HVAC company to something ordinary and run-of-the-mill. Let’s go over 5 common furnace smells and what they mean.

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Why is My House So Cold?

Monday, January 30th, 2023

You’ve turned on the heater and are right to expect a prompt response from the system. However, it’s been close to an hour, and all you’ve got is an increase in your frustration and the number of complaints from everyone in the house who is too cold.

We understand why a stubbornly cold house would be frustrating and we want to help. Often, the lack of heat is one of the signs that you need a furnace repair. We will explain this and other warning signs below so you know when you need to schedule expert repairs.

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Carbon Monoxide Risks & Prevention

Monday, October 24th, 2022
carbon-monoxide-detector

Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, and invisible gas that can enter a home by way of a damaged or malfunctioning gas-powered appliance. Since many of our customers utilize a gas furnace in their households, we feel that it’s important to cover the risks of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure and what can be done to prevent this exposure.

First, we want to start by saying that gas-powered furnaces and other gas-powered appliances are not inherently dangerous. But if they are not installed and cared for properly, they can become so. Preventing problems with carbon monoxide exposure is simple… read on to learn more!

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Features to Look for in a New Furnace

Monday, December 18th, 2017

new-gas-furnaceWhen on the market for something like a furnace, air conditioner, or any other necessity, it may seem as though the options don’t really matter. Can one furnace really differ so much from another? Shouldn’t you just let the technician pick out your new furnace for you? We don’t think so.

There are so many features in a modern furnace that can make a huge difference in your comfort and in the amount of energy you use. Find a quality contractor, share your furnace must-haves, and make this winter the most comfortable ever!

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Have You Had Your Furnace Checked Yet?

Monday, October 24th, 2016

Now is the time! If your furnace has not had a thorough inspection yet this year, we strongly recommend getting on the phone with your local heating and air conditioning company ASAP! What makes this service so important?

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When Is It Time to Upgrade That Older Furnace?

Monday, January 4th, 2016

Your furnace has been a huge help through the years, but at some point you’ll have to move on to a new unit. Of course, you don’t want to spend the money unless it’s necessary. On the other hand, upgrading your furnace means better efficiency, performance, and safety. Here, you’ll see why it’s so important to replace your furnace after 15 years, and how a brand new furnace could help you to save money from month to month.

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Common Furnace Problems

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

During the cooler months in Whitehall, it may seem as though the winter weather will never end. Your furnace works hard to keep you comfortable during the chilliest days, which means each one of the parts of your system gets quite a bit of use. Eventually, excessive use can really take its toll on the parts of your furnace, which means that you may need repairs. Here are some of the most common furnace repairs that our technicians deal with at Boehmer Heating & Cooling.

  • Blower Fan Motor Replacement: Warm air moves into your home through the ventilation system in your home after a blower fan pushes it past a heat exchanger and into the ductwork. If this blower fan is not operating properly, then you won’t get the level of heating you need in your home. What’s more problematic is that the furnace plenum could overheat—were in not for the safety switch in place meant to prevent this. The furnace limit switch shuts off the unit when it’s at risk of overheating, so you won’t get any heat at all. Often, this just means that you need replacement.
  • Cleaning the Flame Sensor: The flame sensor is another safety feature which helps to protect your home and family. This component keeps gas from leaking into your home if the pilot won’t light. When there is no flame, the probe senses the trouble and shuts down the unit. However, this sensor may malfunction and assume there is no flame if it is too dirty, shutting down the unit unnecessarily.
  • Repairing or Replacing the Thermostat: Sometimes, a problem with the furnace is a result of a faulty thermostat. Poor wiring can cause the furnace to short cycle, or it may not turn on at all. You may decide to replace your existing thermostat with a more efficient model, like a smart thermostat that allows you to change the temperature from your smart phone even when you’re far away.

Call the people at Boehmer Heating & Cooling to repair your furnace in Whitehall. We have years of experience repairing and maintaining heating equipment, and we will work hard to get your furnace back to normal operation as quickly as possible or help you to find a replacement unit and install it for you. Call a member of our team of heating technicians today and ask about our comprehensive furnace services.

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How a Furnace Limit Switch Helps Keep Your Home Safe

Wednesday, January 7th, 2015

Through urban legend and other unreliable means, furnaces have garnered a level of concern around their ability to be safe. While safety should always be taken with any type of combustion system, today’s heating systems are equipped with a number of safety mechanisms and devices, many which are redundant, that ensure your personalized safety. If you have a furnace, one of these safety mechanisms is a component known as the limit switch.

What Is a Limit Switch?

The limit switch is part of your blower assembly and helps with the operation of the blower while also keeping your system safe from overheating. In regard to blower operation, the limit switch is the device that doesn’t allow your blower to start pushing air through your ductwork until the generated heat has reached the correct temperature; this keeps your furnace’s fan from blowing chilly air into your home. The second job of the limit switch has to do with your safety. This is because the limit switch is also equipped to sense when the air around the heat exchanger becomes too hot, and if the switch senses this, it can instantly kill the burner and extinguish all combustion.

Common Problems with the Limit Switch

Should your limit switch malfunction, you may see the following:

  • Constant running of the blower
  • Blower won’t turn on
  • Burner won’t stay lit

Operating your furnace, or attempting to operate the furnace, with a safety mechanism malfunctioning is not advisable as your safety and the safe operation of your system may be at risk. It is also not advisable to try and repair the problem yourself; instead, call an expert for assistance.

If you have questions about the safety mechanisms on your furnace in your Brentwood home, or are experiencing heating issues with your furnace, call Boehmer Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our specialists. We offer professional furnace services in the Brentwood area.

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Why Schedule New Furnace Installation This Fall?

Wednesday, October 8th, 2014

So, your furnace is getting on in years, and you think it’s time to replace it. But when should you actually have it done? Does it even matter when you get a new furnace? As a matter of fact, it does. The fall season is the best time to ensure that your new furnace gets off to a good start. Let’s take a look at why you should have a new furnace installed in fall.

Perfect Timing

There’s a reason that most annual furnace maintenance takes place in fall. The best time for any sort of preventative maintenance is right before a period of heavy usage. This ensures that your furnace is in peak condition at the time that you need it the most. The same principle applies to installing a new furnace. A new furnace is already in the best possible condition, which means that it will be giving its best performance during the winter months. Since you were probably planning on scheduling an HVAC service call during the fall season anyway, why not install a new furnace at the same time? That way, you can stay right on schedule without having to change any plans to accommodate a new appointment time.

Convenience

Installing a new furnace necessitates the removal of the old one. This is obvious, we know, but it should factor into your thinking about when to install your new furnace. Whenever you install your new furnace, you’ll be depriving yourself of heat for at least a day. That day without heat is bound to be uncomfortable if you wait until the winter months.

You should also consider the ebb and flow of demand on HVAC repair services. During the winter months, calls for fast furnace repair tend to spike. This makes things more difficult if you want to install your furnace during the winter months. You are far more likely to get prompt service if you call for a furnace installation in fall, when there are fewer customers to compete with.

If you need a new furnace installed, call Boehmer Heating & Cooling. We install furnaces throughout the Whitehall area.

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Top 3 Reasons to Install a Furnace

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014

Furnaces are one of the oldest of all ways to heat a home; only the fireplace pre-dates them, and the furnace arose from the same principles as a fireplace. However, furnaces have kept up technologically with other heating systems and remain the most popular way to provide warmth for houses to this day.

So even though you have a number of options for home heating, such as a boiler or a heat pump, a furnace may still be the best choice of all. We’ll look at some of the reasons you might want to install a furnace in Pittsburgh, PA for the next bout of freezing weather. Call Boehmer Heating & Cooling to talk to our heating specialists about scheduling a new installation for your home.

3 reasons to consider furnace installation

  1. Heating effectiveness: Pittsburgh winters can be tough. You want a heater that can bring you sufficient warmth to keep the cold back. Furnaces, in particular gas-powered furnaces, are among the most effective heating systems when it comes to the basic job of heating. They outperform heat pumps, which can struggle with extreme low temperatures, and are often a good choice for older homes that have insulation problems.
  2. Flexibility: When it comes to matching heating systems with homes, furnaces have the most flexible options. Regardless of your heating requirements, there is almost always a furnace that can take care of it. They come in many different sizes, efficiencies, and fuel types. With electric, gas, propane, and oil options available, you can find the furnace that fits your budget and home comfort needs.
  3. Fuel efficiency: Gas furnaces are the most popular furnace model, and they are among the most fuel-efficient heating systems available. Modern high-efficiency gas furnaces can score AFUE ratings of 95% and above, which means only 5% of the heat is wasted. This will help reduce your heating bills while still giving you the same superior heating performance.

You’ll only get the most from your furnace with professional installation

If you think a furnace is your optimal choice for heating your home, call up professional installers to help you choose a unit and size it to fit your home. Without the work of skilled installers, you could end up with a furnace that’s wrong for your home and works incorrectly, possibly even dangerously.

Boehmer Heating & Cooling will make sure you end up with the right unit for you. Our trained technicians will deliver a fast and effective installation that will leave you with many years of trouble-free warmth. Call us today for Pittsburgh, PA furnace services.

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