Help! What to Do When Your Dunkirk, MD, Furnace Stops Working
Discovering on a cold winter night that you don’t have a working furnace is the last thing we’d wish for anyone. But furnaces can suddenly die on you regardless of how careful you are with the device. Here are the first steps to take in order to keep your home warm when your Dunkirk, MD, furnace stops working.
Perform a Quick Safety Check
First off, if your Dunkirk, MD, home uses gas, look for a leak in the furnace. If you find a distinctive rotten egg odor around your furnace, gather the family and leave immediately. Once away from the home, contact the gas company.
Look for Simple Errors
There could be a tripped circuit breaker, a reset issue or a glitch with the thermostat. If you do not see a visible, simple fix, you may have a failed furnace. This is when you want to take advantage of Hancock’s 24-hour emergency availability.
Trap Heat in the House
During the day, close window dressings not facing the sun and open any that do. This will allow slight amounts of heat to seep into the home.
You need to minimize the flow of heat between rooms. If there are drafts that you haven’t sealed, it’s time to tighten up. Get out the towels and old clothes and start stuffing.
Close all inside doors and try to reduce traffic around the house. Every open door disrupts your efforts to keep heat in place. Make concentrated effort to stay out of unnecessary spaces like guest rooms.
Avoid opening doors that lead outside. You want to open below sink cabinets. We want any existing heat to get to the pipes, since you don’t want them to freeze.
This would be a great time to gather the family around the fireplace if you have one. Get out blankets and sweaters and get cozy until a tech comes out to look at the problem.
Do not use ovens or stoves to warm the house. This is a safety hazard and not worth the comfort you think it’ll bring.
Get Out the Space Heaters
If you have them, use them, but remember to do so carefully and responsibly. Set them on flat, level surfaces and distance them from flammable objects and materials. Unplug any other electrical devices so that the heater doesn’t share an outlet.
If you have an extra heater, place it near the waterline. If not, insulate that line with newspapers.
Get Hancock on the Phone
As soon as you realize this is a problem you can’t solve by yourself, call a professional, licensed heating contractor. Troubled furnaces are our forte, and we’ll do everything possible to resolve the matter because there’s nothing worse than a cold night with no heat.
Look for us to:
- Inspect heat exchangers for deterioration
- Remove and clean burners, if necessary
- Check pilot lights and assembly
- Look for leaks in the gas line
- Review all safety controls
You can expect a rundown via a full furnace-won’t-come-on checklist. Our experienced techs will check for loose belts and pulleys, and improperly lubricated equipment. We’ll examine filters, condensers, compressors and thermostats.
And if it comes down to determining your furnace has seen its best days, we’ll get to work on a plan that gets a replacement unit to your Dunkirk, MD, residence as quickly and affordably as possible.
We have the certified technicians with the training and expertise to fix your furnace and keep you warm. We’ll do everything in our power to make it a stress-free process. That means getting in, getting out, and using a transparent and upfront approach to recommendations, costs and options.
Improving furnace efficiency is our specialty. If you should ever find your heating system acting up and in need of service, give Hancock Refrigeration Heating & Air Conditioning a call and we’ll get out to your Dunkirk, MD, home long before the cold’s got you shivering.
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