We aren’t quite at the true heating season yet—the time of the year when home heaters turn on to provide warmth. Temperatures are still hovering in the cool-to-warm region. But it’s October, which means fall is here and just over the ridge is winter. If you use a boiler system to heat up your house in winter, you want to ensure that it’s in the best shape possible before the cold weather hits. You can do this by arranging for a heating tune-up and inspection through one of our preventative maintenance comfort plans.
But today we want to focus on what happens once your boiler actually gets to work—especially if you end up putting it to work before it has maintenance. We urge you to avoid this situation, but it can still happen. If it does (and even if you did have routine maintenance this year) look out for some of these early indications that you need to call us for boiler repair in Burlington, VT. The sooner you have the trouble fixed, the less expensive it is likely to be and the less long-term damage it will do to the boiler.
A rumbling tank
When people hear a rumbling sound coming from the tank of a boiler, they sometimes worry the boiler is about to explode. This is probably not the case, but it still isn’t a sound you want to hear. There are a few possibilities, but the most likely one is that the boiler is starting to overheat. This could be because of limescale on the inside of the tank.
Indications of leaking
You never want to see water leaking from a boiler! This sometimes happens because of poor initial installation that badly soldered the connection points. (Yet another reason to always have a boiler system installed professionally.) Don’t delay when you notice water starting to drip from the boiler tank: shut off the boiler and call for help immediately.
Booming sound when the boiler starts
For a gas boiler, you’ll expect a slight whoosh sound as the gas jets of the burner ignite. But if there’s a delay and then a louder boom sound, it probably means dirt or corrosion along the burner. Unburned combustion gas is gathering in the combustion chamber, and when the electric ignition system or pilot light finally lights the burners, all the extra gas ignites at once and creates the sound you hear.
Radiators or baseboard heaters aren’t heating up enough
If you find cold spots in rooms or notice that it’s taking much longer to heat your home than normal, there may be blockage or a build-up of air in the system. There might also be trouble with the circulator pump, one of the few mechanical parts of a boiler.
Short-cycling
This is when your boiler keeps turning itself off before it can sufficiently warm up your house. This could be traced to a thermostat issue, but it might also happen because of a drop in water pressure. No matter the problem, it will result in a colder house and a large waste of energy until it’s repaired.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC—Serving Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York. We offer 24-hour emergency service.
