Common Furnace Breakdowns During a Southern Alberta Cold Snap

The temperature has taken a turn for the worse and your furnace can hardly keep up? You may be cold where you ought to be warm, or put off by odd sounds. Then there is the prospect of opening your eyes to a house at freezing on the year’s coldest night.

We see it often enough. For 80 years now Charlton & Hill Home Services has been the one to call for those in Lethbridge and all of Southern Alberta who want to put some warmth back in their home. Should your furnace give you trouble in a cold snap, pick up the phone to (587)-800-0255.

Winters here in Southern Alberta are no joke. A cold snap puts more demand on your furnace than any other season and that is when minor issues are apt to become major ones. We have put together an account of the breakdowns we come across most when the mercury goes down.

What Makes a Furnace Give Out in a Cold Snap

There is not much margin for error with a furnace operating at the top of its range. In better weather a furnace might still make your home comfortable even if it is not running well. At minus 30 however, it has nothing left in the tank. One weak component is pushed beyond what it can handle and it quits.

You will find though that most failures are of a familiar sort. It helps to know what to look for in order to head off trouble.

Furnace Problems of a Deep Freeze

These are the calls we get time and again from Southern Alberta:

• Air filters in need of changing, clogged and dirty so as to restrict airflow and make the furnace overheat and shut off
• No heat because of a failed pilot light or ignition
• Heat exchangers that are cracked or not working properly; a matter of safety
• Condensate lines on a high efficiency unit that are frozen or blocked
• Blower motors on the fritz and no warm air to circulate
• Thermostats that are faulty and lose signal or do not read correctly
• A short cycling furnace due to a flame sensor that has worn out

Any of the above means your family will be without heat when they require it. Some, a cracked heat exchanger for instance, present risks to be reckoned with.

Signs of Impending Furnace Failure

As a rule a furnace will let you know before it is done for. Be on the lookout for these, particularly when a cold snap is in the offing:

• Heat that is uneven or weak in parts of the house
• The furnace turning on and off in quick succession
• Banging, squealing or rattling you do not normally hear
• A burner flame that is yellow rather than a consistent blue
• Your heating bill going up
• The furnace will not stop running but the temperature does not budge

Do not put off doing something about it until the dead of winter. It is much less of an ordeal to put right a problem early on than to have a complete shutdown at 2 in the morning.

A Few Things to Check at Home

Often the cause is simple. Before making a service call, you might try:

• Putting in a new air filter if the old one is clogged
• See that the thermostat is on heat with good batteries
• The power switch to the furnace should be on
• Vents for supply and return are unobstructed by furniture
• A trip of the breaker at the panel

We are surprised how many no heat situations are resolved with such checks. If the furnace is uncooperative, a professional is called for.

Making the Call to a Pro

Not all problems can be put right in a hurry. You would be taking a risk to attempt repairs on the gas supply, blower motor, heat exchanger or ignition system yourself. They call for the proper tools and expertise.

Charlton & Hill Home Services has been in the business for over 80 years in Southern Alberta and we are fully licensed and insured. Our 4.8 star rating on Google from more than 900 reviews speaks to the trust our neighbours have in us to do things right. We stand behind our work with a 100 per cent satisfaction guarantee and are here Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 8pm.

We can provide a free estimate as well, to put your options in perspective.

This winter, do not allow a furnace that is on the blink to leave your family cold. Whether you are seeing warning signs or it has already conked out, get in touch with us at (587)-800-0255. We will have you warm and ready for whatever cold snap comes along.