There are at least a half dozen things that can go wrong with a furnace or boiler every time it is time to turn it on for the season. The problems can range from mildly desperate to explosively dangerous. Here is what you can do when you find out that you need emergency services for your heater.
You Turn on the Furnace and Just Get Clicking Noises
There is no heat. There is no warm air coming from the vents in your home. It feels really cold, and the temperature continues to drop in your house.
When you turned on the furnace for the season, all you got was repeated clicking noises that remind you of trying to get a lighter to produce fire. Not surprisingly, that is exactly what is going on with your furnace. The clicking is the ignition switch trying to ignite and heat air. It cannot, unless you get an HVAC technician to your house right away.
You Smell Gas
Uh-oh. This is a very serious problem. Open windows or window wells in your basement to air out the gas. Then, turn the furnace off and call a repair technician like those at A & E Heating and AC Inc. You have a ticking time-bomb on your hands with a gas leak.
It only takes one match or a cast-off cigarette butt, and your home could become an exploding rocket. As long as the gas is turned off and you have given the area near the furnace plenty of room to air out, you can stay in or near your home. If you do not turn off the gas or fail to air out your home or basement, you should call the fire department and alert them before vacating the property. Then, call the emergency repair technician.
There Is Clearly Something Burning Inside the Furnace
Furnace fires are not that unusual. It only takes a worn out and dirty furnace filter to get trapped inside the furnace or materials that are too close to a pilot light to start a fire. If you smell and/or see something burning, either near or inside your furnace/boiler, get out of the house!
Call the fire department, and then call an emergency HVAC technician. After the fire department has put out the flames and has determined the cause of the fire, the technician can get started on the repairs. Hopefully you will not need a completely new furnace, but that is unlikely.
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