Purl's Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

A Cracked Heat Exchanger Is a Major Furnace Repair Issue

Monday, February 19th, 2024
hands-opening-heating-cabinet

Gas furnaces are reliable and powerful heating systems that can work for many years delivering warmth to a home. It’s why they’re still the most common household heating system across the country. 

Some homeowners are cautious about using gas furnaces because of possible safety hazards. Burning natural gas in any appliance has some risk of uncontrolled combustion and toxic gas leaks. But as long as a furnace receives regular maintenance each year and prompt repairs when needed, the risk is minimal.

We want to focus on one specific furnace repair problem that can create serious health hazards: a cracked heat exchanger. The more you know about it, the easier it will be to prevent it.

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5 Smaller Signs of a Dying Furnace

Monday, February 5th, 2024
hand-drawing-check-boxes

We’ve examined before the ways you can tell that you may need heating repair in Fresno, CA. As we keep moving through another cold winter in the Central Valley, you’ll want to know how to recognize all the potential indicators that your furnace is teetering on the brink of failing. 

Some of these signs we haven’t shared before—they’re the silent and small warnings that may not leap out at you. Today, we’re going to delve into these sneakier signs so you’ll know sooner to call our technicians to investigate your heating system. If there’s a problem, we will find it and see if a repair will fix it or if we need to replace the whole furnace because it’s truly at the end of its service life.

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Why Won’t My Furnace Turn On?

Monday, December 11th, 2023
furnace-with-technician-checking-it

During the winter, there are few frustrations more annoying and uncomfortable than a furnace that won’t turn on. If you’ve had your furnace maintained annually during the fall, you likely won’t run into a problem like this—but there’s never any guarantee of a perfect furnace performance. 

If you’re currently facing a furnace not heating in Clovis, CA, you can call our team to see what repairs it may need. In some cases, you may only need to do a bit of troubleshooting to correct the problem. Below, we’ll look at reasons for an obstinate furnace, what you can do about it, and when you need to contact us. 

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Why Pilots Lights Have Gone “Out of Fashion”

Monday, November 27th, 2023
natural-gas-burner

Once upon a time, when people discussed gas furnaces, they often talked about the pilot light. This flame burned through the winter in the furnace, ready to ignite the burners as soon as gas started to flow to them. Sometimes the pilot light would go out and need relighting—and this was often Troubleshooting Step #1 on lists of what to do if a gas furnace stopped working. 

But now the question people are asking isn’t “how to light a gas furnace in Fresno, CA” so much as wondering what happened to the pilot light. Some models may still use them, but not many. The pilot light has gone out of fashion, and for some good reasons.

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Sealed Combustion Furnace: What Makes It Different From a Standard Furnace?

Monday, October 16th, 2023
natural-gas-burner

How much do you know about the operation of your furnace? You may understand the basics of how a gas furnace runs: gas burners ignite, hot combustion gas collects inside the heat exchanger, the heat from the exchanger walls transfers to the air, and a blower pushes the air into the ventilation system. But there are some differences between furnace construction that can make a significant difference, such as whether your furnace is a sealed combustion furnace.

If you’ve never heard of the term sealed combustion furnace, we’re glad to explain to you what it is and why it’s different—and often superior—to a standard furnace. If you’re interested in sealed combustion heaters in Fresno as a choice for your home, we can assist you.

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Is Electronic Ignition Only for Electric Furnaces?

Monday, September 18th, 2023
natural-gas-burner

You may have heard about furnaces switching to something called electronic ignition. If you have a gas furnace, you might think this doesn’t apply to you—after all, wouldn’t electronic ignition only apply to electric furnaces?

The keyword you might be overlooking is ignition, which means igniting something. Electronic furnaces do not use any type of combustion or burning to work. Instead, they allow electric voltage to flow through a series of heating elements, which then warm up through electrical resistance. The only furnaces that use electronic ignition are the ones that burn natural gas (or less common options like propane or oil). 

If you’re curious about how this works and how to light a gas furnace with electronic ignition, we’ll explain below. We’ll also look at why electronic ignition is a beneficial change from standing pilot lights.

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The Biggest Benefits of Arranging for Regular Furnace Maintenance in Fall

Monday, September 4th, 2023
furnace-with-technician-checking-it

We can expect high temperatures throughout September here in the Central Valley, so it may seem strange that we’d recommend you start to consider service for your furnace. However, the best time to take care of regular maintenance for a furnace is in the fall, preferably at a time when you don’t yet need the furnace. 

An annual furnace inspection and tune-up is as mandatory as mandatory as HVAC jobs get. We don’t want you to overlook it, and you can make arranging for maintenance easy as a member of our Ultimate Service Agreement. Below we’ll go over the best benefits of having your furnace given the full maintenance treatment this fall.

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Debunking Common Furnace Myths

Monday, February 20th, 2023
furnace-with-man-working-on-it

The furnace has been the most common type of home heating system for many decades. As with anything that’s been around that long, a number of myths have gathered around the furnace that many people still believe. Although the internet allows for rapid debunking of many of these misconceptions, it also allows for the misconceptions to continue to spread.

We want you to know the truth about your furnace so you can get the most out of it and enjoy safe comfort every year. You can trust our team for professional furnace service in Clovis, CA or elsewhere in the Central Valley whenever you need it.

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Are You Considering a High-Efficiency Furnace for 2023?

Monday, January 23rd, 2023
New-Year-Resolutions

This may be the winter when you realize that your current gas furnace is approaching the end of its service life. You’re seeing higher gas bills when you run it, and the idea of paying a high cost to repair it the next time it breaks isn’t appealing. These are all good reasons to invest in a heating replacement in Fresno, CA during the coming spring. (Or even right now if your heater simply fails on you.) But is this the year to invest in a high-efficiency furnace? These heating systems cost more than mid-efficiency gas furnaces, but there are many reasons to give them serious consideration.

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What Does a Furnace Limit Switch Do?

Monday, November 28th, 2022
furnace-with-pipes

Gas furnaces work on a basic principle: lit gas flames heat air that is blown through the furnace and into the rooms through ductwork. But gas furnaces are complex devices that have several safety features and mechanisms that allow them to work correctly and without creating hazards. 

One of the key components for the operation of a furnace is the furnace limit switch. You don’t need to know all the details about this part, but understanding the basics will help you know more about how your furnace works—and why it sometimes doesn’t work.

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