Although boilers aren’t as common a way to heat a home as furnaces, there are still many homes that use boilers in Hillsboro, OH. Boilers offer a different type of heating from furnaces and heat pumps: radiant heating, which doesn’t heat the air but instead sends waves of heat energy from one heated object to another. People often prefer the sensation of radiant heating to having hot air blown around, and boilers can spread heat faster and more evenly than other types of heating systems.
Boilers, however, can run into their share of problems—and not all local HVAC contractors work on boilers. But we are proud to offer our expertise when it comes to solving any issues you may have with your home’s boiler. Below are several of the more common malfunctions your boiler may run into and which we can resolve for you.
Kettling
This is a whistling, popping noise you might hear from your boiler, and sounds similar to the noise of a kettle boiling—hence the name. First, don’t worry that the boiler is going to explode. This is extremely rare, especially since modern boilers don’t actually boil water. Second, this is an issue because it can mean the boiler has excessive limescale, is overheating, or is suffering from leaks. These will all lower the boiler’s effectiveness and shorten its service life, so please call us when you hear kettling.
Leaking
A boiler is a closed system, unlike a water heater, that circulates the same amount of water around the house to provide heat. It should never leak at any location. Leaks can cause damage to the boiler’s components as well as to a home. Call professionals to locate all the leaks as well as the reason for them (corrosion, high boiler pressure, decaying seals, etc.).
Burners not igniting
If you have a gas-powered boiler (and this is the most common type), the boiler will fail to provide heat if the burners won’t ignite. There are several possible causes of this. The gas line may be blocked or the gas valve stuck and not allowing natural gas to reach the burners. The ignition system may have failed, in which case a safety mechanism will shut down the gas flow to prevent a build-up of unburned gas. The burner assembly could be dirty and stop oxygen from allowing combustion. Never attempt to tamper with the gas components of your boiler—only allow licensed professionals like our team to do this job.
Frozen condensate pipe
In our cold weather, it’s easily possible for the boiler’s condensate pipe to freeze. Modern boilers are condensing boilers, which means they condense exhaust gasses from the burners to extract more heat energy. The condensate pipe removes the condensate vapor, but this pipe is vulnerable to freezing and blocking the pipe. The boiler’s safety mechanisms will shut it down if it can’t vent properly. Call our technicians to thaw the pipe; please don’t attempt to do it yourself.
Shafer Heating & Cooling, LLC: You are just one call away from the comfort and savings you deserve!