Heating|HVAC Naperville

Spotting the early signs of a furnace starting to break down can spare you from a chilly winter in Woodridge, IL. The following signs all indicate that your furnace is crying out for a maintenance checkup. Responding to these signs by scheduling a heating system service, Woodridge, IL, can help residents keep their furnaces working well this winter.

Gas Smell

A smell of gas around your furnace is a sign that should never be overlooked. A sulfurous smell could indicate that your furnace has a gas leak, which can be extremely dangerous. Do not turn on your furnace or light any naked flames until you can call out a heating service to check it over.

Here are some other signs of a gas leak:

Strange Sounds

If your heating system is noisier than usual, it could be in need of repair. A clicking noise can indicate a problem with the flame sensor. Problems in the motor of an air heating system can cause squealing. Call a home heating repair company to find out exactly what the problem is and get it fixed right away.

Yellow Pilot Light

The pilot light of your furnace should always be blue. A yellow pilot light can be a sign of incomplete combustion, which produces carbon monoxide, a deadly but difficult to detect gas. Don’t delay — call a heating repair company now if you notice that the pilot light is any color other than blue.

Dusty Furnace Vents

Soot around the furnace vents is another sign of incomplete combustion. Sometimes dust is simply dust, but if it keeps building up around the vents, schedule a maintenance check as soon as possible. A dirty furnace is not an efficient furnace, so delaying could cost you money.

Failure to Reach Target Temperature

If there is a mismatch between the temperature setting on your thermostat and the actual temperature of your home, the most likely cause is a problem with the thermostat. The good news is that this is often an easy and low-cost repair. Get in touch with a heating repair service to find out how much it will cost to repair or replace your thermostat.

Furnace Takes Ages to Fire Up

Furnaces are designed to quickly come up to temperature — it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. If your furnace regularly takes an hour or more, then it is time to call a heating repair service. There are a number of faults that can cause this problem, including the connection with the thermostat, clogged ducts, and motor problems.

Furnace is Old

Old furnaces need a little more attention than modern furnaces to keep them working well. If your furnace is more than a decade old and it’s been a while since its last service, consider scheduling one today.

No matter what is wrong with your furnace, we are ready to help. Give us a call to help your furnace make it through winter!

Preparing for winter and freezing temperatures is vital, and you need the best heating repair company to ensure everything is in good working condition. However, even with maintenance and servicing, failures aren’t unheard of. Heater breakdowns may leave you with no furnace to rely on. In some cases, an HVAC repair technician might not be able to get to your home fast enough. In that case, here are six tips that will help you stay warm when the heating goes out.

1. Layer Up Your Clothes and Blankets

Putting on more layers of clothes creates air spaces that reduce heat loss from your body. This ensures you maintain the heat your body generates and also keeps the cold from getting in. In a similar fashion, investing in a second duvet will give you more warmth at night.

2. Seal Openings

Staying warm involves two things: avoiding heat loss and exposure to cold. Make sure you close all windows and doors and pull down the curtain to prevent cold air from entering the room. You can also find a small room and keep your primary supplies therein to maintain warmer temperatures while you keep other doors locked.

3. Consume Hot Meals and Drinks

Hot food and drinks help to generate heat in the body and keep you warm. As such, you should pack away all your sodas and cold beverages until you have the heater fixed. Meanwhile, maintain a supply of hot beverages to stay warm throughout the day and night.

4. Get Active

Physical workout increases the heart rate and blood circulation as you generate the energy to push through. HIIT and cardio can help get you warm and sweaty within a few seconds. However, you can take it at your own pace and get some good workouts in while warming your body. Simple, steady jogging is enough to get your body heated, so, unless you want to achieve other fitness goals, master how to get your body warmed up faster.

5. Cuddle with Someone

Cuddling can generate heat pretty fast and is one of the ways to stay warm through winter. You can cuddle while watching TV or sleeping. Cuddling is effective, especially if you share one covering, such as a duvet, as it traps the heat your bodies generate, maintaining warmer interior temperatures.

6. Keep Lights On

Incandescent bulbs and lighting are known to emit more heat than fluorescent and LED lighting. Although this means they consume more energy, you can keep them on to keep the air warmer in your bedroom and other rooms.

Get a Head Start

Hire the home heating repair company Woodridge residents trust for quality services by choosing Leslie Heating & Cooling. We have many years of experience helping clients maintain properly functioning heaters and furnaces, so you don’t have to deal with breakdowns. We also offer emergency services to fix your heater quickly so you can continue warming the house without changing your lifestyle. Contact us to find out more about our heating and cooling services in Woodbridge, IL.

Before the heavy Chicago snows hit, it’s important to make sure that your home is prepared. There’s nothing worse than having a pipe burst in the middle of the night or your furnace conk out on a cold winter’s day. You can avoid many winter home emergencies by winterizing your house, including having an inspection of your heating system from the best heating repair company in the area — Leslie!

Protect Your Pipes

A burst pipe is one of the most common winter plumbing emergencies in the Chicago area. While all the pipes in your home stand a chance of bursting, it’s the ones that are close to the exterior that are the most vulnerable. Wrapping your pipes and insulating them can help reduce the chances of water freezing in the pipes and causing a leak.

Have Your Heating System Serviced

You can help extend the life of your heating system and make it more efficient with regular inspections. Often, dust and debris can build up, causing some parts to wear out thus making it inefficient at heating. Plus, regular inspections from a home heating repair company in Woodridge can help find small problems before they turn into expensive repairs!

Clean and Check Your Gutters

The gutters for your house protect the foundation from water damage, but they can’t function when they’re clogged with fall leaves. Cleaning your gutters and inspecting them for loose connections can help divert the snowmelt from your roof away from the foundation of your house and reduce damage to the home. You’ll also need to check the gutters after storms to remove ice dams that can break the gutters or make them inefficient.

Protect Against Drafts

Drafts around your doors and windows don’t just make the house uncomfortable. They also cause your furnace to work harder to heat the space, which in turn leads to more wear and tear on the appliance. Seal the edges of doors and windows with weather stripping, and inspect each one to help you save money on fuel costs and make your house more pleasant when the evenings turn chilly.

Check Your Smoke Detectors

House fires are more common in the winter months and can be started by a faulty fireplace or dirt and debris in the air ducts. Make sure that all your smoke detectors are in good working order and that your carbon monoxide detector works, too. This is especially important in homes with a fireplace, as CO2 can build up quickly.

Schedule Your Service With Leslie Heating & Cooling

Leslie Heating & Cooling serves the western Chicago area for all your HVAC and water heater needs. We’re a locally owned and operated company, able to work on most major brands of HVAC equipment and water heaters, both tankless and traditional. Our techs show up on time and ready to work, whether it’s an after-hours emergency or just a simple fix. Give us a call to schedule preventative maintenance services or to book your repair today!