The last thing you want in the chilly winter months is for your heating to die on you. Heater repair is essential when you’re getting through the winter. Although heating systems are very complex and require the expertise of a skilled technician, there are a few things that you can do that might fix the problem. Here are a few things that you can try yourself before you give the professionals a call.
Keep It Clean
First of all, maintenance helps. One way to cut down on heater repair bills is to make sure that your unit is properly maintained, and a big part of this is cleaning. Like air conditioners, these appliances are prone to collecting dust, and this makes it work harder. The result is that you won’t be getting the heat you need. Simple routine dusting is a great way to keep it clean and it will prevent lots of problems.
You can take a wet rag and go over all the surfaces of the unit until the dust is gone. Keep an eye on it and dust whenever necessary; there’s no way to say exactly how often it should be done because some homes are dustier than others. As a general guideline, make it a monthly cleaning task. This will help a lot in keeping it working right, and it might save you money on hiring professionals to take care of it for you.
Power Supply
Most heater repair problems come from wiring problems where the power supply is not getting all the way through the unit. You can actually go into the unit itself and check the circuit breakers to make sure everything is working right. By looking at it, you can see if it has flipped off and you can try turning it back on again. Some have another power switch inside the handling unit which you can try to flip on too. If this doesn’t work, you should call the pros. You don’t want to get too involved in the wiring if you don’t really know what you’re doing.
Check Your Thermostat
Other heater repair problems come from broken thermostats. If your thermostat is not getting the power it needs, it will give you a false temperature reading, telling you you’re getting heat that you’re not getting at all. In the worst case, the display may show nothing at all while the unit is still working perfectly well. Most thermostats get their power from both the unit itself and from batteries. You can usually fix display problems yourself by simply changing batteries. Most people don’t realize that it can be this simple.
That’s about all that you can do. If the problem is something more complex, you’re better off calling your local heater repair specialists. Routine maintenance, troubleshooting and checking circuit breakers can sometimes solve a simple problem easily. If it’s tougher than that, you should leave it in the hands of the pros who have the experience and tools needed to get the job done.
