On a cold winter night, what if your Furnace fails to suffice for your heating needs and you have no other heating alternative as well? And what if there's no service in your vicinity which could be called? Sounds like a scary thought but factually speaking, a lot of homeowners have to go through this or a similar situation in winter. And then the only option they are left with is to spend an absolutely horrible and uncomfortable night. But we won't let this happen to you. This blog will highlight some of the common Furnace problems and some quick fixes that homeowners can try in case of emergency.

- The furnace is not heating home - Fix it!

If Furnace is not heating the home, what else is it heating? Hmmm, maybe the circuit breaker. This situation can occur because of multiple reasons out of which the most common is that the circuit breaker had tripped, fused or blown away. So what can you do about it?  For that, reset your circuit breaker and to do that, switch if off and then on. Be sure to do it only once and switch the button off and then turn it back on. Strictly as directed!

- The furnace is producing insufficient heat - Fix it! 

In the cases when Furnace is producing heat but not sufficient, the most probable cause is the dirty filters that are not allowing the air to easily flow through them resulting in a reduced supply of warm air. For that, do this:
Well you know what to do, let's talk about the next fix.

- Electric Furnace is not igniting - Fix it! 

So the Furnace this time may be causing this trouble of not igniting at all. Troubleshoot this by switching the power off. Then turn the power on. This resetting of the electric supply is most probable to ignite the Furnace back again. If this does not work out, disconnect all power and gas supplies and reach out to the ignitor to inspect it. Broken or cracked? Well, this is something that needs replacement and a professional can do it. So this time, try no DIY.

- Gas Furnace is not starting - Fix it!

After a long break, when the heating system is brought into use again, there are a number of problems that show up one of which is a (gas) Furnace that does not start. When this happens, you need to ensure that the gas supply line is open. Also, if a gas boiler/water heater is used at home, check out whether or not that is operating. If that is operating but Furnace is not, follow the gas line all the way to the Furnace and inspect thoroughly if there's something obstructing the supply. No resolve?
Well, now call a professional!

- Burning odours - Fix it! 

Whether such a smell is coming from outside the unit or from the inside, immediately do two things;
- Firstly, turn off all power and gas supplies to the unit. Also turn off the main power and gas supply of the home
- Make sure you go to a safer location at home or leave the home altogether
This precautionary measure is because the burning smells from the Furnace could mean a CO leak or a propane, natural gas leak. Any such leaks have the potential to bring serious consequences that may be fire, CO poisoning or similar. So take refuge!

So how much do you like to save and how many ways of saving do you use? Must be more than many. Money is earned with efforts and no sane man ever wants to waste his hard earned money on things where savings can be made easily. Take for instance the example of Thermostats. Technology is advancing and it is providing us with improved appliances that are not only time saving but are also money saving. By sticking to the old methods of heating and cooling, you could be choosing to waste hundreds of dollars that you are otherwise capable of saving. The Mercury Thermostat were once the only option but as said; technology is offering us with more than many choices. The Touch Screen Programmable Thermostats and then the latest of all, WIFI/Smart Thermostats have revolutionised the concept of control. Did you know that shifting to the /WIFI Smart Thermostats can reduce your energy bills this Winter 15%-20%?

Let's us talk in detail how can Smart Thermostats be a gigantic magnet to attract savings and why you should shift to this technology this Winter.

Before you explore the benefits of the WIFI Thermostats, get to know how they operate. A WIFI Thermostat, unlike the manual thermostats, does not require manual settings. WIFI Thermostats are capable of sensing your temperature behaviours and automatically adjust themselves according to that. Since they incorporate high-quality sensors, they turn the Thermostat up/down depending on the outside temperature that helps save amazingly. In addition to that, what makes the WIFI Thermostats a favourite of homeowners is the WIFI mechanism that allows control from anywhere in the world. Literally anywhere.

It is true that in order to shift to a better technology, you'll have to make investment generously but with special reference to the Smart Thermostats, it is also true that your investment will begin to benefit you right away. The difference can be seen on monthly bills every month and in no more than a year, all of what you've spent will be returned. Moreover, since Smart Thermostats with the genius technology that they incorporate, reduce the extravagant use of appliances, they contribute to increasing appliance lifetimes and reducing their courses of repairs.

With the conventional Thermostats, you are not granted with enough choices. Either it is about switching between certain temperature options or switch between any two temperatures. Weather of Canada remains highly unpredictable and changes that occur are hard to tackle with limited temperature options. WIFI Thermostats give you an open wide way to go. You can switch between as many temperatures, can change them anytime from anywhere and even can get notifications regarding any emergency Thermostat switching off situations.

So how does a Thermostat know at what time you want a particular temperature and automatically change temperature as you leave for office when you never programmed it to do so? It is because WIFI/Smart Thermostats keep track. They collect data and keep it saved. This data helps them in automation but this data also helps you to keep a track of your energy consumptions so as to make more energy saving possible for you.

When it comes to heating and cooling appliances, our major concern is; comfort and savings. WIFI/Smart Thermostats offer both. Keeping in view the above-mentioned benefits, it seems that you should better go for one of the latest models of Smart Thermostats but hold on! Here's a thing we want you to know; Smart Thermostats are not compatible with all sorts of HVAC systems. Before you make a purchase, make sure to consult an HVAC professional on whether or not this technology is supported by your system.  

It's a hot Summer afternoon and you're sleeping in your comfy bedroom with an Air Conditioner providing soothing cooling. Suddenly, it starts acting odd and here what it does;

A whistling sound begins to come from the vents. Oh nooo!!!

Since you and no one likes his dreams to be disrupted by whistling sounds, whatever you ought to do has to be done urgently. But before you set up the venture of fixing the problem, explore the causes of such sounds:

Reasons behind AC making whistling sounds:

The major reason behind your whistling Air Conditioner is insufficient air flow through the return vents. And what causes the reduction in the return air flow? It could be due to:

and most importantly;

All these issues can be fixed right away with little effort and without calling a professional. But before we move on to the solutions, let us learn how does a low airflow cause whistling sound.

Here's how your vents whistle

Remember the whistling you learned in childhood? For that, you had to make a very small opening with your lips and blow air outwardly with high velocity. And the sound came out was of?  A WHISTLE! The same happens with your Air Conditioner. Your blower is operating all the time circulating air throughout the home. When there's insufficient air provided, the blower blows it with the same velocity and pressure. As this high pressurised air reaches the supply vents openings, it makes the whistling sound.

Fix your whistling Air Conditioner, do this

Close Dampers - Fix it

Dampers are valves that are located in your ductwork and are used to prevent air flow from reaching certain parts of the home. Locate your damper near the supply vents and make sure it is aligned sufficiently to allow proper air flow.

Blocked Return Vents - Fix it

What most homeowners do in order to not compromise on their interior is that they hide the return vents using furniture, carpets or other such blockages. This is such a grave mistake that it can affect the whole HVAC system. Insufficient air reaches the system and consequently, the system gets disturbed. If your system is making whistling sounds and you know you've done this mistake too, fix it by removing the blockages on the return air ducts.

Several Closed Doors - Fix it

Why that privacy? You can keep the doors open man! When the airflow comes from the supply vents of the main hallway or stairway and wants to spread in the entire home, it has to sneak from the small gaps under the doors in order to enter the rooms where the doors are closed. And what happens next? Insufficient air reaches there. As a consequence, insufficient air goes back from the return vents that then causes the whistling sound. To solve this, keep the doors open unless it's a super secret plan you're making inside. (Or at least keep them half opened)

Dirty Filters - Fix it

Although the most common reason behind the whistling sounds is dirty filters, we've mentioned it on the very last. And it is no additional information since you already know how important it is to clean the filters regularly. Clean them right away if the last time you cleaned them is the time you don't even remember.

Bottom Line

With home comfort heating and cooling appliances, you'll have to face issues every now and then. Although not all of them can be solved as DIY’s, there are many that can be. The above mentioned four solutions are what you can try yourself the next time your AC makes freakish noises.

Did that help? If yes, do let us know.