Why Professional Furnace Repair Can Be a Lifesaver
Many people heat their homes in the fall and winter using a central furnace. While they are common in many homes, they are often fairly complex machines that the average homeowner knows little about. They require electricity, a combustible fuel source like natural gas, and hot air. In order to heat your entire home, that boiler needs to get really hot. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were roughly four furnace explosions per year on average. Thankfully, modern technological advancements have brought that number down to only about 0.3 per year. Regular furnace repair and maintenance can help keep the risks low.
Even with the dramatic reduction in furnace-related accidents, there are still occasional news stories on the catastrophic and often tragic results that can arise from faulty boilers. In late …show more content…
Being aware of the potential is also a big part of the solution. That contractor reports that on one job he was called in to look at an air conditioning unit and, while in the house, asked the customer if he'd like him to inspect the heating unit. The homeowner brushed him off but relented when the contractor reminded him that "you can't be too careful." Upon examination, the contractor discovered a "one in 10,000" problem that could have proved disastrous. The pilot light had gone off, and the redundant shut-off valve had failed, so gas was slowly filling the home. This particular heater was using propane, which is heavier than air. Because of this denser molecular makeup, propane sits at the bottom of the room and does not emanate as much odor as natural gas. Had an open flame, electric spark, or even mono-filament light bulb come into contact with the gas, it would have combusted and set the whole place ablaze. Thankfully, a bit of precaution and a quick furnace repair negated that nightmare
Many people heat their homes in the fall and winter using a central furnace. While they are common in many homes, they are often fairly complex machines that the average homeowner knows little about. They require electricity, a combustible fuel source like natural gas, and hot air. In order to heat your entire home, that boiler needs to get really hot. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were roughly four furnace explosions per year on average. Thankfully, modern technological advancements have brought that number down to only about 0.3 per year. Regular furnace repair and maintenance can help keep the risks low.
Even with the dramatic reduction in furnace-related accidents, there are still occasional news stories on the catastrophic and often tragic results that can arise from faulty boilers. In late …show more content…
Being aware of the potential is also a big part of the solution. That contractor reports that on one job he was called in to look at an air conditioning unit and, while in the house, asked the customer if he'd like him to inspect the heating unit. The homeowner brushed him off but relented when the contractor reminded him that "you can't be too careful." Upon examination, the contractor discovered a "one in 10,000" problem that could have proved disastrous. The pilot light had gone off, and the redundant shut-off valve had failed, so gas was slowly filling the home. This particular heater was using propane, which is heavier than air. Because of this denser molecular makeup, propane sits at the bottom of the room and does not emanate as much odor as natural gas. Had an open flame, electric spark, or even mono-filament light bulb come into contact with the gas, it would have combusted and set the whole place ablaze. Thankfully, a bit of precaution and a quick furnace repair negated that nightmare