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Avoiding Emergencies

December 16, 2024

by Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

From the Experts

Avoiding Emergencies

At some point you will probably have to call a repair company because your furnace has stopped working. Inevitably, mechanical things will break down and quit working. Many times we are able to repair whatever broke with a new part and you are ready to go in just a few hours. Sometimes all that is wrong is the system needs a simple cleaning and again you are back in business with a warm home. Worst case though, is that we cannot repair the system because the part or parts necessary for repair are obsolete and no longer available. It might be a holiday weekend and our suppliers are closed. This would mean at least a couple of days without heat. Sometimes the required parts for repair are so expensive that it doesn’t make sense to replace them and sink a large amount of money into a system that is approaching the end of its useful life.

The last and worst case scenario isn’t too bad if it is fairly mild out. But, what if this no-heat situation happens and it is deep into the winter season with temperatures below freezing? What will happen if your furnace is not repairable? At this point you must make a quick decision on what brand and model of furnace will replace your old one. You must come up with thousands of dollars to have it replaced. Then, hopefully, we can get the installation completed immediately before the cold damages your home.

Listen, I’m not trying to scare you, as most of the service calls we run are routine and we are in and out quickly the same day. But the last scenario does happen sometimes, and it can be completely avoided. A yearly scheduled checkup will find and prevent most all breakdowns during the winter. During a checkup your unit will be cleaned and brought back to as near the performance it had when it was new. The best value of a checkup is we thoroughly check the heat exchanger. When a heat exchanger fails it must be replaced. Heat exchangers are a costly repair even if they are under warranty. Worst of all, heat exchangers must be ordered, so their replacement is hard to complete in one day.

Rather than your furnace determining when it’s time to be replaced, you can be in charge of the timing. Get it serviced, especially if it hasn’t seen maintenance in years. Then you will know its condition and can make the replacement decision on your own terms, not over a holiday dinner.

Sponsored Avoiding Emergencies

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Avoiding Emergencies