No one wants to wake up on a cold morning only to find out that their heater has not been working all night. Sometime during the night, you may find yourself snuggling down a little more, or grabbing an extra blanket, not realizing that your system is already starting to fail. Usually, by the time morning rolls around, everyone is already miserable and it’s all you can do to even get up and check things out.
During the winter, we always recommend keeping warm socks and house slippers or tennis shoes next to each person’s bed, and a heavy blanket near your pet sleeping areas. This way, if you or your family find yourselves waking up to a miserably cold house one morning, you’ll have a first response layer ready to go. This is especially important for children and the elderly.
The moment you notice that your system is not running properly (or at all!), go ahead and give us a call while you run through your own troubleshooting checklists. Time is of the essence and it is more important to place the call early than to try and troubleshoot everything first. Every moment that the system is not running will result in a temperature drop, and it is our job to be present for our clients during moments like this. While troubleshooting, if you do still have power to your home, go ahead and pull any space heater in the main rooms of the house and start a fire in the fireplace if you have one. As tempting as it might be, please do not use the oven to heat your home. This is extremely dangerous and should be avoided.
Understanding how your system works will help you and your service technician pinpoint any area where something may have malfunctioned. A great place to start is by checking your air filter. Is it dirty or clogged? If so, that means it’s time for a replacement. You may be surprised how many issues begin and end with a clogged filter. A blockage from the filter prevents airflow, and airflow is the bread and butter of your heating system.
If your heating pump is leaking or running low on refrigerant, a technician will need to service the unit before it can get back to heating your home comfortably. This is something your technician will be able to point out and then easily remedy.
Another great checkpoint while you are placing your call and heating your home in a safe manner is to visit your electrical breaker box. If a fuse has tripped, it will send a signal to your heater that everything needs to shut down. Sometimes, simply tripping this breaker can restart your system, and if you are unfamiliar with doing this yourself, you can wait until we are able to walk you through this process over the phone or will send a technician out to perform the task for you.
Resetting your system via the thermostat is a great first move while you’re waiting on the line. It is important to turn the entire system from Heat or Cold to OFF, as well as turning the fan to the off position. Wait about one minute before turning the system back on, which gives it ample time to reset. Check to make sure that your system is switched to Heat, and that the setpoint temperature is above the current household temperature. You may want to turn it up five degrees to see if the unit will call for heat.
Just like the rest of your large appliances, your heating unit will require constant surveillance and maintenance. This is where our service contracts come in handy. We will regularly check and service your system, addressing any concerns as they arise. You will be informed of each component’s health and we will help you stay informed along the way should something need replacing.
The relationship between yourself as the homeowner and Dowd Heat & Air should be as symbiotic as possible. Each of us have our own part in keeping Tulsa homes running smoothly and maintaining comfortable temperatures. We strive to ensure a stress-free winter season for all of our clients, and should a problem arise, our technicians are always available to get you warm and cozy again as quickly as possible.
As we always say, when you moved into your home, the function of your HVAC unit was probably not at the top of your mind. That’s where we come in. Our energy audits can assist in determining if your unit size is appropriate for your home, if any motors or fans may be on the verge of failing, or if your entire system needs to be updated. Whatever your energy needs, rest assured that we have your best interest in mind when making any recommendations. We are here to keep you cozy this winter, just give us a call!
