Last month, we discussed the importance of ensuring your heating system is regularly serviced to maintain the efficiency of the system. Sometimes though, despite your best efforts as a diligent homeowner, you find yourself facing a detrimental winter problem: your heating system just won’t heat.
Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Troubleshooting’
When Your Heating System Just Won’t Heat: Steps to Follow
Wednesday, February 15th, 2017Leaks in Radiant Heating Systems
Friday, February 10th, 2017Radiant heating systems are a terrific option for home comfort that has spread from Europe into the United States and gained great popularity. Most radiant heating systems use hydronic (water) power to send heat through pipes under your floorboards and provide you with toasty warmth right under your feet. There are some electronic radiant floor systems that you can have installed as well.
But using hydronic power always comes with the risk of leaks developing. Modern radiant floor heating is built to resist leaks because they are fixed systems that do not permit oxygen to enter and degrade the piping. But leaks can still occur. When you need professional repairs, or installation, for your heating in Arlington, VA, contact our specialists at OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc. Even if we didn’t install your radiant heating, we can repair it.
The most common cause for leaking to occur in radiant floor heating is from construction stress. When these leaks develop, they will usually start underneath floorboards or floor stones and will cause damage to building material. This is similar to what plumbers refer to as “slab leaks”: pipe breaks that occur under concrete, leading to extensive damage unless fixed.
When you suspect that you have a leak in your radiant heating system, you need professionals to perform leak detection to discover exactly where the water is coming from and how best to access the pipes and repair them. The precision technology used to locate leaks means that technicians can pinpoint the location so exactly that they usually need to do only a minimum amount of removal of floor material to access the leak.
Sometimes, radiant floor heater leaks do not require excavation in order to repair. An injection of a type of sealer additive into the water system can take care of minor leaks, and this will also prolong the life of the system.
If you have leaks in your radiant heating system, you will need repairs… fast! That’s why we offer 24-hour emergency service at OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc. We know these problems almost never occur when it’s convenient, and we are ready to help when you need it.
We can be there for all your troubles with heating in Arlington, VA and northern Virginia.
“Great timely service. Knowledgable and neat techs. Good value.”
“Would absolutely use their services again. Arrived on schedule.”
-Springfield, VA
Why is My Furnace Producing No Heat?
Saturday, February 4th, 2017Sometimes, a problem with your furnace can be very subtle, requiring a little detective work to successfully ferret out. A furnace that produces no heat, however, isn’t one of those cases. You pretty much know right away if no warmth is coming out of your vents, and a call to a qualified service technician is probably next on the agenda. If you need furnace repair in Arlington, VA, the experts at OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration Inc. can resolve the issue properly.
You may be asking yourselves, “why is my furnace producing no heat?” – we’ve included a brief outline of the issue below.
A lack of heat stems from one of two basic sources: no heat being generated and no air being blown through the system. In the former case, there’s no heat being made at all. If the unit is one, it may indicate a problem with the burners (they may be clogged or otherwise inoperable), or it may be a problem with the thermocouple or ignition system. The thermocouple regulates the flow of gas into the furnace and if the pilot light is out or some other problem exists, it won’t release any gas to start the heating process. In every case such as this, a technician can solve the problem by cleaning, repairing or replacing the faulty part.
In the event that no air is being blown into the house, the technician can check the air filter or for a build-up of dust and similar particles preventing the air from flowing. The trouble might also be with the fan mechanism, such as a faulty motor or a misaligned fan blade.
Whatever the cause, OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration Inc. hunt down the source of the problem and correcting it. Our trained Arlington, VA furnace technicians are on call to answer your questions and we conduct ourselves with your satisfaction in mind at all times. Call us today to schedule an appointment. You’ll be glad you did!
What Is Gas Furnace Short-Cycling and Why Does It Happen?
Monday, January 30th, 2017
We hope you’ve been enjoying a pleasant winter here in Northern Virginia. The weather is mild right now—but that still means it’s cold enough outside that you’ll need a home heater for comfort, especially in the evenings.
If your home is like the majority in the area, it uses a gas furnace for a heating system. One of the more common troubles that a gas furnace might run into during the winter is something called short-cycling. Because our technicians often fix this problem, we’d like to share some information about it: what it is, and why it might happen with your gas furnace. If you have a short-cycling heating system and need furnace repair in Springfield, VA or the surrounding areas, we have the 24/7 emergency service to fix it.
Electrical Problems and Heating Repair in Fairfax, VA
Sunday, January 29th, 2017Most home heating systems use either gas or electricity to operate. Electrical heaters are dependable and have high energy efficiency, but they do sometimes malfunction and break down. In this post, we’re going to address electric-powered systems and the troubles they can have that require professional repair. If you need heating repair in Fairfax, VA, contact the experienced team at OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc.
If your electric furnace is no longer producing heat, it may mean that the heating elements are not working. The trouble could be a simple as a tripped circuit breaker or an incorrectly set thermostat. If these don’t solve the problem, you should schedule professional repairs to fix or replace the electric heating elements.
Sometimes the electrical problem is in the thermostat, so no matter how you set it, the heater will not turn on. If this is the case, it will probably require getting the thermostat replaced.
When an electric furnace malfunctions, you should do the same checks with the circuit breakers and thermostat. The trouble could be an overloaded motor. Try leaving the furnace off for 30 minutes before hitting the “reset” button. If none of this works, then the problem may lay with the heating elements, which have a different set-up than in a water heater. Where most electric water heaters use two heating elements, an upper and lower one, electric furnaces use multiple elements that turn on in stages. The more heat your home needs, the more heating elements will switch on to maintain it. If one or more of these fail, the furnace will not be able to provide as much heat as before. A technician can use a device called an ammeter to test which of the elements aren’t working. Attempting this fix yourself puts you at risk of a high voltage shock, so leave the job to the professionals.
OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc. can give you the personal attention you need to fix the electrical problem in your heating system. When you need experienced repair work, call OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc.
Your Hybrid Heating System Won’t Work: Here’s Why
Saturday, January 14th, 2017Hybrid heating systems combine two types of technology to warm your home: usually a heat pump and a small furnace. Heat pumps act as both a heater and an air conditioner, and can be very efficient ways to heat your home. But they tend to struggle when temperatures get very cold, which is why combining them with a furnace can be a great system for many homes.
If your hybrid heating system won’t work, here’s a short list of possible reasons why:
Many of the problems will stem from one half of the system or the other, which matches the problems from similar stand-alone units. For instance, if the heat pump develops a leak in the refrigerant lines, then it will have trouble transferring heat from outside to the inside your house, leading to rooms that are too cold. Or the furnace will develop an electrical short and refuse to turn on, forcing the heat pump to take on a greater load and increasing wear and tear in the bargain.
Other problems can occur that are more related to the hybrid system’s connectivity. For instance, the furnace may have a malfunctioning component, preventing it from turning on when it needs to. Or the thermostat may not register the lower temperature, keeping the furnace from activating.
Regardless of the cause, you need to call in an expert who can help. For Arlington, VA heating repair services, call OASIS Heating, A/C & Refrigeration, Inc. We can hunt down why your hybrid heating system won’t work and make repairs quickly and efficiently. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!
Odd Things Your Heat Pump May Do in Winter
Monday, January 2nd, 2017Is this your first winter using a heat pump for comfort? Whether it’s because you had the system installed in the spring to prep for summer, or you’ve moved into a house that already has a heat pump, you’ll probably run into some unusual behavior from it during the winter. Most of the time, there’s nothing wrong with the heat pump—it’s simply that you’re unaccustomed to seeing the way this type of comfort system works in cold weather.
Here are two specific heat pump winter issues that seem like repair problems… but aren’t.
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