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Welcome to the Campeau Heating Blog!

Looking for professional heating, cooling and air quality advice? Our experts share helpful news, tips and tricks every other week! 
 
Advice from the Professionals
Furnace Maintenance: Give Santa a Warm Welcome This Year!

Campeau Heating experts in Sudbury, Ontario, teach homeowners how to prevent furnace failure this winter.

Furnace Maintenance: Give Santa a Warm Welcome This Year!

Last year, we had an embarrassing Christmas Eve. 

The kids were sound asleep, dreaming of making warm, Christmas morning memories.

 The milk and cookies were set out on the hearth, ideally heating up for St. Nick’s upcoming arrival.

Everything was going as planned.

It was growing chillier and so we stoked the wood in the furnace to keep it going strong all evening, knowing that we wanted to wake up toasty warm. And then we went to sleep.

St. Nick came to our small town joyfully, with his bag full of gifts (we know because we heard the bells ringing from a mile away!). 

Except…

We never heard him come down the chimney. In fact, he wouldn't even open the front door! 

And we couldn’t blame him - OUR HOUSE WAS FREEZING! 

Sometime in the night, our furnace had completely conked out, leaving us chilled to the bone, Santa’s cookies frozen solid and snow stuffing our stockings!

To this day, we still don’t know what happened with our furnace and we’re dreading a repeat story of last year's frigid Christmas memory!

How to Make Sure Your Furnace Lasts All Winter

Winter doesn’t go easy on a furnace. Or a heat pump. Or a fireplace. Or any type of HVAC heating system you might have installed in your home. 

And unexpectedly losing heat during the cold, winter months can be incredibly dangerous. 

Thankfully, you’re not left to your own devices when it comes to furnace maintenance. And there are quite a few things that you can do in order to prevent furnace failure - even if you have an ancient furnace or heating system!

The 5 Top Furnace Failure Culprits

Whether you’ve experienced furnace failure in the middle of a frigid winter night or not, we can guarantee that it’s not an event you’re willing to risk. 

If you wanted to live in a cold home, we’d guess that you probably would have chosen an igloo. But, as it turns out, you haven’t chosen the igloo life and you’re on the search for dependable ways to keep your home furnace running properly.

The first step? Figuring out what you’re up against. 

If you’re working with an old, outdated furnace, then this next section is absolutely critical in knowing exactly how to fix current problems within your furnace and prevent potential future problems as well. 

So, why did your furnace stop working?

1. The Blower Motor Has Failed.

The blower motor is stage two of your furnace operation. Its job is to take the now warm air from the heat exchanger, and blow it out into your air ducts.

If your blower motor dies, it could be a bigger issue than you were hoping for. This component of your furnace has multiple moving parts, any of which could be the culprit for causing a breakdown. 

If your furnace blower motor does end up being the culprit, you may have to think about installing a new heating system all together.

But, before you start furnace shopping, we always recommend scheduling a furnace cleaning!

2. The Inducer Has Quit. 

The inducer’s job is to draw oxygen-filled air into the furnace - namely the combustion chamber and heat exchanger. 

If your furnace inducer is the culprit, then what you might be hearing are whines, banging, screeching or even nothing at all! These sounds means that the inducer is failing to bring in the necessary combustible air, thus preventing heat from being created.

3. The Air Filter Got Clogged. 

Speaking of cleaning your furnace, the next likely culprit for furnace failure is your air filter(s). 

These filters can easily become clogged if not properly replaced and/or cleaned on a regular basis.  

PRO TIP: We recommend changing out your furnace filter every 30-90 days. 

4. The Pilot Light Cut Out.

The pilot light is actually a small, blue flame. In a gas furnace, it is used to ignite the fuel that is being used to create heat. 

If the light has cut out, the furnace will automatically stop running. Which means it needs to be fixed as quickly as possible!

We recommend a thorough cleaning of the pilot light first and foremost. 

If that doesn’t fix the problem, then the flame sensor might actually need to be replaced.

5. The Thermostat Conked Out. 

This one is probably the most frustrating of all 5 culprits. Why? Because it essentially means that there is nothing mechanically wrong with your furnace at all. The problem lies only with the thermostat meter, which will most likely only require a simple recalibration or battery replacement. 
 

If you’re having trouble identifying the sole culprit to your furnace failure dilemma, contact our heating team today!

 

This Is How You Prevent Furnace Failure 

Now that you know what the culprit is, it’s time to ensure that you never have to experience that situation again! 

Our number one trick to preventing furnace failure? 

Investing in timely furnace maintenance!

Scheduling annual preventative furnace maintenance will drastically reduce the risk of furnace failure and ensure that your energy bills aren’t through the roof!

3 Reasons To Invest In Preventative Furnace Maintenance:

1. Dependability 

There’s no rude awakening quite like making a no-heat call on Christmas morning - or any winter day for that matter! 

Scheduling preventive maintenance for your furnace gives you the peace of mind you need to enjoy the winter season - from the comfort and warmth of your own home!

2. Safety 

Like we mentioned earlier, losing heat suddenly during the winter months can be dangerous at best - deadly at worst.

Each year, The National Fire Protection Association releases yet another report on the main culprit for home fires - malfunctioning or poorly maintained HVAC heating equipment.

Incomplete combustion, caused by faulty equipment, actually releases carbon monoxide into your home - a lethal gas that is silent, odourless and colourless.

A furnace safety inspection can help ensure that your furnace is functioning properly and not releasing this harmful gas.

3. Cost Efficiency 

Remember that inducer motor that we mentioned earlier? You’d be surprised to find out that the most common reason why this pricey part fails is actually mother nature. Animals and/or birds can easily get inside this element and leave unwanted debris - clogging the system and causing it to fail!

The simple act of cleaning your system, replacing small parts as required and ensuring the proper functioning of each working part is what’s going to save you money on your heating in the long run! 

After all, would you rather replace a few small parts or the entire furnace as a whole?

Schedule Your Furnace Maintenance With Our HVAC Specialists At Campeau Heating!

Are you concerned about the health of your furnace this winter? Now is the perfect time to schedule your furnace maintenance and safety inspection

Do you have questions about our furnace maintenance service? Contact our team at (705) 560-2441

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