Cranking the Heat? How to Know if You Need Heating Repair

If you’re feeling a chill even though it seems like your heater is working, you should call the Brooklyn heating experts at Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning to find out why.

There are a number of reasons why your heating system isn’t working like it should and most of them will take an expert to fix.

Thermostat Problems

The first place to look is at your thermostat. If your thermostat uses batteries, they may need to be replaced. Sometimes a child has changed the setting on your thermostat. If you have a programmable thermostat, did you reset the time when we went back to Standard Time? If you installed your thermostat yourself, it may not be compatible with the controls on your heater. Call us to find out.

Electrical Problems

Heating system problems are typically electrical, mechanical, or the result of a bad pilot light or ignition system. Electrical problems include your thermostat or a bad circuit board not controlling your heater properly. If your furnace or boiler is short-cycling — going on and off — that’s often caused by a bad circuit board. If you heat with oil, a clogged fuel filter, for example, will prevent the right amount of oil from going to the burner. On a gas furnace or boiler, a faulty pilot light system or a bad flame sensor will cause the burner to go out prematurely.

Mechanical Problems

A mechanical problem will prevent the heat from getting to the right places in your home. A faulty motor may result in the boiler pump not moving water properly or the furnace blower not spinning at the right speed. When was the last time you changed your air filter? There may be some blockage in your heating pipes or duct work so the heat isn’t getting to the radiators or the registers. Make sure that drapes, furniture or area rugs are not blocking radiators or registers. If you have a heat pump, it may be running but not have enough refrigerant in it to get hot enough.

If you don’t have a whole house humidifier, give us a call. Dry winter air will make your home seem chillier, and you’d be surprised at how much a humidifier really helps.

Time for Heating Replacement

Sometimes it’s just a matter of your heating unit being too old and not functioning well. Are you having to call us too often to come in for heating repairs and do you think you’re spending too much money to keep an old heater running? Are you spending too much time and effort dealing with your heating system? It’s time for a new one.

When you have us replace your heating system, we’ll do a calculation to make sure your new furnace or boiler is exactly the right size to heat your Brooklyn home properly. In addition to added comfort, new heating equipment is more energy efficient and will save you money.

Brooklyn Heating Experts

If you’re feeling a chill, call the Brooklyn boiler and furnace experts at Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning! We are dedicated to working skillfully, efficiently, and professionally to keep Brooklyn property owners warm and toasty.