Things to check before you call
Every winter, we face periods of time where temperatures drop, the wind come up, and the chill factor falls to well below 0°F. This is when marginal equipment start to fail. During one of these cold-snaps, at least a couple time a day we arrive on an emergency heat call only to find the problem was something painfully simple to resolve.
Before you call us, take these steps and you might be able to resolve your problem on your own:
- Fuel: Make sure that the gas is turned on to your home. If you have an LP gas or oil boiler, make sure you have fuel in your tank
- Check Your Thermostat: Make sure your thermostat is set to “On” and in the “Heat” mode.
- Check Your Power Supply: Check your circuit breaker to ensure that you have not had a nuisance trip and your heat system does have power.
- Check Your Boiler Switch: to make sure it is “On”. This is typically an older toggle switch and may or may not have a Red cover plate.
- Does Your System Have a Pilot Light?: If your gas boiler has a pilot light check it. If it’s off, re-light it.
- System is On, But a Zone is Cold: Is a section of your baseboard not heating? It may be air-bound. If you have radiator bleed valves try removing this excess air.
- Boiler Water Supply: Is the water level in your boiler too low? There should be 12 - 15 psi in your boiler. If there is not try adding water to your system through your system water feed valve.
- Check Your Vent: If you have a modern sidewall vented gas boiler, the vent often terminates outside near the ground. Is the vent terminal clear and snow free?
Experienced and licensed boiler service
Ultimate HVAC has decades of experience providing boiler repair services to home and business owners in Skokie, Niles, Wilmette, Winnetka, and Glenview. Our company services all boiler brands and we stock most parts necessary to restore your boiler to proper operations quickly.
There are several common issues you may notice that will indicate you’ll want to give us a call:
- Water or leakage around your boiler
- Unusual noise during system ignition or operation
- Intermittent failures that require you to restart the boiler
- No domestic hot water, or lower hot water capacity than what you are used to
- Higher fuel consumption than normal
- Cold rooms or cold heating zones
- Ice accumulations on vent systems
Our licensed and NATE certified heating technicians have the experience necessary to carefully evaluate you system and take corrective action quickly.
