Pinpointing the affecting issue in a broken furnace isn't easy without professional help.

Broken Furnace – 10 Essential Tips to Keep in Mind

Tips and Advice

Sharing our knowledge and expertise on furnaces, plumbing, gas fitting, process piping, and more!

 

Broken Furnace – 10 Essential Tips to Keep in Mind

broken-furnace-edmonton

Just like any household appliance, your home furnace will no doubt reach a day when it requires some level of repair. It could be that it’s making a minor noise or, worse yet, isn’t producing consistent heat. Regardless of the issue, you’ll need a specialist (such as JW Brian Plumbing & Heating) to repair your broken furnace and have it up and running again ASAP.

Additionally, after repairing hundreds of furnaces and gas appliances in the Edmonton area, one common question we’re asked is: “my furnace isn’t working, what should I do?”. You’re of course welcome to contact us and we can help with the repair, but you may be surprised to learn that you might not need us at all! With the advice shared in this guide, you may be able to troubleshoot or fix your furnace yourself.

10 Essential Tips When You Have a Broken Furnace

When the day arrives that you are dealing with a broken furnace, we recommend ten important tips:

  1. Is the Main Power on?
  2. Re-boot furnace
  3. Batteries in the thermostat
  4. Furnace filter isn’t blocked
  5. Ice buildup
  6. Check that the condensate trap isn’t clogged
  7. Ensure the vents are not obstructed
  8. Inspect Chimney 
  9. Call your furnace repair company 
  10. Use other sources of heat

1. Is the Main Power on?

As silly as it may sound, there have been times when a client has called us with a failing furnace only to discover the power is turned off.

So before anything, do yourself a favor and double check that your furnace’s power is turned *on*!

2. Re-boot furnace

furance-power-switch

On occasion, on modern, high efficient furnaces, a simple reboot of the furnace is all that is required, Simply turn the power off then back on after a couple minutes. Its a long shot, but you never know till you try.

3. Batteries in the Thermostat

Dead batteries are a fairly common problem, it is recommended to change your thermostat batteries yearly.

4. Inspect Furnace Filter

dirty-versus-new-furnace-filter
New vs. old dirty filter. If yours looks anything like the filter on the right, then it may be time for a replacement.

The furnace filter’s job is to protect the blower fan from dust, hair, and any other harmful contaminants that enter the furnace through the return duct.

After much use, the filter may become clogged and so dirty that it blocks the airflow and over heats the  furnace tripping it out. Thus, with the furnace power turned *off*, pull the filter out from the appliance and see how it compares to a new filter (such as the image above). Filters should be changed twice a year.

5. Ice buildup

On high-efficiency furnaces and particularly in cities with cold winters (such as Edmonton), a common reason for furnace failure is ice buildup in the air intake or exhaust of a furnace on the outside of the house.

Check that there isn’t a buildup of ice on the air intake or exhaust  preventing proper airflow.

6. Check that the condensate trap isn’t clogged

furnace-condensate-drain

Furthermore, another frequent issue with high-efficiency furnaces is the tremendous amount of moisture and condensate produced, which must be collected in a “trap” and drained out of the furnace.

Although the trap is a highly effective draining mechanism, it’s also quite rudimentary in nature and can be easily blocked. More information on condensate drains can be found at HVAC School.

7. Ensure the vents are not obstructed.

On a high efficient furnace, in addition to ice build up mentioned in step 5,  the air intake and exhaust vent may be blocked  with  foreign objects such as a bird’s nest or dead rodents. Check the vents and remove any foreign objects that may be clogging the airflow.

8. Inspect Chimney

plugged-chimney-birds-nest

On your older, gravity vented furnaces and mid efficient furnaces, you may have a obstructed chimney.. We have have found children’s toys, bird’s nests, and even one of Santa’s boots in a chimney. A yearly inspection of your chimney is advised.

Photo Above: An extreme example of one of  a obstructed chimney – birds nests.

9. Call your furnace repair company

In addition, if tips 1 through 8  are not effective in reviving your furnace to working order, then it is best to give us call. We are available 7 days a week for Heating and Plumbing emergencies.

10. Use other sources of heat

portable-space-heater

Lastly, if your furnace is failing to produce warm air and you are left with a cold home, then it never hurts to find another source of heat temporarily, such as a electric portable heater, fireplace, and of course, a few extra layers of clothing to get you through until your furnace is repaired.

We Are Here To Help

Contact us now for reliable and trusted plumbing, heating and gas fitting services 7 days a week! (Subject to availability).

Recent Posts

furnace-boiler

How Much Does it Cost to Repair a Furnace in Edmonton?

Tips and Advice

Sharing our knowledge and expertise on furnaces, plumbing, gas fitting, process piping, and more!

 

How Much Does it Cost to Repair a Furnace in Edmonton?

how-much-will-it-cost-to-repair-my-furnace-social

Plain and simple, if you live in Edmonton it’s nearly impossible to live without a working, reliable furnace in your home. We might not need heat during the warmer summers months from May to August, but come September it’s an absolute necessity; especially when temperatures dip to below 0°C.

Here at JW Brian Plumbing & Heating, we’ve diagnosed and repaired hundreds of furnaces in the Edmonton and surrounding area on all makes and models.

To help prepare you for the day that your furnace is suddenly rattling or fails to produce heat,  we’d like to share some of our relevant knowledge on this topic. Through this guide, we will answer one of the most common questions customers ask us: “how much will it cost to fix my furnace?”.

As you’ll see below, there are a number of variables that will determine the final cost of a furnace repair. We will attempt here to give a reasonable approximation so at the very least you’ll have some idea of what to expect.

Note: the below cost approximations are based upon our experience and proven track record of servicing hundreds of furnaces in Edmonton, Alberta. Although we stand by these figures, the final cost may vary depending on the contractor you hire.

The average cost to repair a furnace in Edmonton

In our experience the average cost to repair a furnace in Edmonton ranges from $300.00 to $1,500.00 and averages out to around $700.00.

This is influenced by several factors which we will break down further below.

  1. Dispatch and diagnostic fee.
  2. The age, brand, & model of your furnace.
  3. Cost of labour.
  4. Cost of replacement components.

1. Diagnostic fee

All legit companies who offer furnace repair services will have a dispatch and diagnostic fee of some type. These fees are to cover the cost of doing business and vary between companies. Please call 780-249-1496 for our dispatch and diagnostic fees.

2. The age, brand & model of your furnace

The age, brand & model will influence the cost of repair. Concerning age, we have found a simple rule-of-thumb applies: older furnaces tend to be more affordable to repair than newer furnaces. This is due to the fact that the components for older furnaces are old technology, while newer furnaces use higher tech components that are more expensive to replace.

As well , the brand of your furnace will influence the cost of the replacement components. The more common brands in Edmonton are: LennoxCarrierGoodmanTrane, and York.

furnace brands that are inexpensive and expensive to repair in Edmonton

3. Cost of Labour

In addition to the age, brand & model of your furnace, it’s important to consider the contractor’s cost of labour. Due to the rate variance between contractors in Edmonton, you’ll likely need to do some research and asking around to find more information on installation fees.

4. Cost of replacement components

Furnaces are built to last and with proper maintenance and care should provide years of service , but there is no denying some components will wear out and need to be replaced in time.

Pinpointing the affecting issue in a broken furnace can be daunting without professional help.

Up until now, we’ve covered three factors in determining the approximate cost to repair a furnace. The final determining factor is the actual cost of the defective component that is preventing your furnace from working as it should.

Outlined below are 4 of the more common components we replace in the Edmonton area and they’re approximate costs.

  1. Draft inducer – the draft inducer is essentially a small fan that pulls the products of combustion through the heat exchanger. Draft inducers typically cost between $400.00 and $900.00.
  2. Blower motor – implied within the name, the blower motor pushes and circulates hot air from the furnace into your home over the heat exchanger. The cost for this component is $400.00 – $1,500.00.
  3. Control Board – the control board is the furnace’s computer controlling its functions. They range in price from $300 to $900
  4. Gas valves – the gas valve regulates and controls the flow of gas to the burners, and are integral to the appliance’s performance. There are various types of gas valves, the cost of this component is from $400.00 to $1,000.00.

Need help repairing your furnace? Let JW Brian Plumbing and Heating help.

If your furnace needs repairing, please feel free to contact us.  We are on call 7 days a week (Subject to availability). To book an appointment, please call us at (780) 249-1496.

We Are Here To Help

Contact us now for reliable and trusted plumbing, heating and gas fitting services 7 days a week! (Subject to availability).

Recent Posts