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Monday, December 30th, 2024
As temperatures drop and your boiler becomes the heart of your home’s heating system, it’s crucial to ensure it’s functioning properly. A well-maintained boiler keeps your home comfortable, but when it starts showing signs of trouble, it’s essential to act quickly. Ignoring warning signs can lead to costly repairs or even a complete system breakdown. We’ve compiled a list of common warnings that signal you need professional boiler repair in Bergen County, NJ.
Monday, January 9th, 2023
You want to make it through another frigid winter in New Jersey in comfort inside your home. That requires your boiler to work in good condition. If you remembered to have maintenance done for it during the fall, then you should have few worries. (And if you haven’t scheduled this important boiler service in Bergen County, NJ, it’s still not too late! It needs to be done once a year, even if it’s late.)
But nothing can prevent all boiler problems, so we recommend you keep an eye and ear out for signs that your boiler needs repair work. The sooner you catch the trouble, the easier it will be to fix and the less likely you’ll find yourself trapped with a boiler that won’t work at all!
Here are some common warning signs of a boiler that needs help from our technicians:
Monday, January 18th, 2021
Are you one of the many homeowners who rely on one of the most dependable heating systems around? That’s right, we’re talking about the boiler. Since boilers have fewer moving parts than their furnace or heat pump counterparts, they accumulate less wear and tear, and in general last longer as a result.
However, boilers cannot work flawlessly forever. You will eventually need to schedule boiler repairs, and hopefully long before it turns into a large repair emergency. Of course, the best way to prevent unexpected boiler problems is with routine maintenance. Annual boiler maintenance will help you fend off the worse boiler problems—but it’s still important to know the signs that your boiler needs repair. Read on to learn what these signs are, and don’t ignore any cries for help—give us a call!
Monday, March 19th, 2018
We’re getting to the end of winter now, but we have a few weeks of cold weather left before getting into air conditioning season. If you’re relying on a boiler to keep your home warm through the rest of the winter, you should make sure that it finishes out the season in the best possible shape. Follow the tips below to keep your boiler in good condition.
Friday, March 28th, 2014
The name “expansion tank” has sometimes confused people concerning their boiler. An expansion tank isn’t a place to expand the amount of water the boiler holds so it can provide more heat. (That’s not how boilers work, anyway.) The expansion tank is a safety mechanism designed to maintain an even water pressure inside the main hot water tank so that it won’t overheat.
But even safety mechanism can have problems that will result in repair needs. When the expansion tank encounters trouble, it can lead to pressure spikes and leaking. If you need work on your expansion tank to restore your boiler’s operation, call DB Heating & Cooling and we’ll send a technician to help you with your heating in Westwood, NJ.
Old boilers used to absorb pressure increases with an empty air pocket at the top of the tank; however, this allowed oxygen into the tank and promoted corrosion. The development of the expansion tank solved this issue. The expansion tank has two chambers divided by a diaphragm: a pipe from the main tank attaches to one side and lets water in; on the other side of the diaphragm is a chamber of air controlled with a valve. When water pressure increases, the water pushes against the diaphragm, which relives the pressure by serving as a cushion. The air valve allows air back in to push against the water and restore the original pressure level.
A common problem that an expansion tank can encounter is lack of proper air charge. It should have the right charge at installation; however, if the tank begins to develop an air leak, it can have too much water and too little air inside it. This risks the pressure in the main tank rising above 12 psi, at which point it can cause leaking to occur throughout the boiler system. You will need to have a technician rebalance the air and water, and add more air to the tank as necessary.
Another problem is tears in the diaphragm, which will cause water to leak into the air chamber and ruin the tank’s ability to regulate pressure. If your boiler starts to rumble and the temperature gauge shows it’s running too hot, shut down the system and call for repairs. A repair technician will discover if the expansion tank was responsible for the problem and repair it.
At DB Heating & Cooling, we specialize in boiler repairs of all kinds. No matter the work you need done on your boiler, our skilled technicians can solve the problem. Call us any time of the day or night for your heating in Westwood, NJ.
Monday, December 2nd, 2013
One of the advantages of having a boiler to keep you warm is that it rarely needs repairs. Boilers contain few mechanical parts that can wear down, so the standard wear-and-tear most machines suffer over time happens slower for boilers. But boilers do have a specific repair and maintenance issue that sometimes crops up: leaks. Leaking not only threatens the boiler’s operation, it threatens construction material and can lead to the growth of mildew and other bacteria. When leaking starts in your boiler, you need to have professionals fix the trouble as soon as possible.
The professionals will also track down the cause for the leaking. There are a number of reasons leaks might start, such as corrosion and improper connections from poor installation. In this post, we’ll talk about a common cause for leaks that will require you to get boiler repair: high water pressure.
Call DB Heating & Cooling when you require effective boiler repair in Westwood, NJ. We have 24-hour emergency services to solve your problem promptly.
Your boiler maintains even water pressure through a number of precautions, such as an expansion tank and a pressure release valve. A malfunction with either can cause the pressure in the water to mount. Sometimes, homeowners accidentally block the pressure relief valve; make sure you haven’t moved anything to obstruct it. (The valve is a pipe located at the bottom of the boiler tank.)
High pressure can often start because of sediment entering the water tank. Breaks in underground pipes can lead to dirt and sand infiltrating the tank and settling along the bottom. If this continues, the layer of sediment will decrease the available space in the tank—and this will cause the water to overheat and spike in pressure. A boiler technician will need to flush out the system to get rid of the detritus.
If you have trouble with hard water in your home, it can have a negative impact on the boiler and cause a pressure increase. Limescale from the hard water will develop along the inside of the tank. Because limescale acts as an insulator trapping heat inside the boiler, the balance inside the tank will change and cause a rise in pressure. Regular maintenance visits will help keep the tank de-scaled.
Regardless of the reason for the high pressure, it will begin to trigger serious damage to the pipes in the boiler’s system, causing leaks to spring up in numerous places. Only proper, skilled repairs can fix the leaks and the cause for the rise in pressure in the first place.
Trust to DB Heating & Cooling to help you with boiler repair in Westwood, NJ. We charge by the job, not by the hour, so you will always know what the work will cost before we start.
Monday, November 11th, 2013
Rust is the main enemy of the integrity of metal. Any place where metal comes into contact with water there exists a risk of rust developing from oxidation. Rust eats away at metal, making it flaky and weak, eventually leading to its disintegration.
As you might imagine, rust poses a threat to the boiler in your home, since your boiler operates through heating and pumping water through your living spaces. Fortunately, the danger from rust and other corrosion in your boiler is minimal if you make sure that it receives regular maintenance. A special anode rod on the top of your boiler helps prevent rust from infiltrating the tank, and as long as this rod gets replaced regularly before it corrodes through completely, you should have few worries about rust weakening your boiler and causing leaks.
However, if rust does start to afflict your boiler, does this mean you need to get a replacement? Not necessarily—but you will at the very least need professional repairs. For high quality boiler repair in Bergen County, NJ, look to DB Heating & Cooling.
If the rust on your boiler is minor and superficial, professionals can usually remove it with ease. The professionals can then inspect the boiler to make certain that the problem won’t immediately return. However, even if the rust contamination seems extensive, it might only require replacing the coils and mounting plates on the boiler—these are the areas that are usually first hit with corrosion.
However, extreme rusting on a boiler’s tank—especially a very old boiler—may require replacing the water tank entirely. Make sure you get a technician to look over the extent of the corrosion damage on your boiler so you’ll have an informed opinion about whether you need repairs or a complete replacement of the tank.
You should take the appearance of rust on your boiler seriously: even if it looks minor, it won’t stay that way. The rust will continue until your boiler starts to spring leaks—and you definitely don’t want a leaking boiler in your home! Get repairs done as soon as you can not only to remove the rust but to determine what faults in your system caused it in the first place.
DB Heating & Cooling can handle your needs for boiler repair in Bergen County, NJ. With our 24-hour emergency services, you never have to worry about getting the repairs done as soon as you need them.
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a mechanical engineer to troubleshoot – and possibly diagnose – the problems with your boiler when its heating performance is erratic or non-existent in your Paramus home.
The good thing about boilers is that they are typically reliable and long-lasting. There aren’t a lot of working parts that can break down and cause problems, compared to other home heating equipment. When problems do arise, they are usually related to the expansion tank or circulating pumps. But a problem can be much simpler – like a tripped circuit breaker.
The most common problems can be noise, no heat, or poor/erratic heating. Before calling a qualified heating and cooling professional, take a moment to see if you can figure out the what’s wrong.
If you have a noisy boiler it might be because of two things – a faulty circulating pump or water trapped in the return lines. If the pump breaks it will make a loud noise when its motor runs. Water can be trapped in the return lines, which may require “re-pitching” the lines to allow for a flow back to the boiler. You may be able to adjust the flow by positioning hangers on the piping but replacing a pump is better left to a professional.
If your boiler is producing no heat, it could be because of something as simple as a circuit breaker being tripped or a fuse being blown. Check your circuit breakers and fuse and reset or replace if necessary. Is your boiler thermostat in the heat mode? It should be but if it isn’t, make the switch. If your boiler has a standing pilot you should check to see if it is lit and if not, re-light it.
Other problems would take a professional to fix. For example, no heat can be traced to low water levels in the boiler. The boiler should always be half-full of water and if it isn’t, it is likely because of leaks or a faulty pressure reducing valve. Don’t try and fix the problem by yourself.
Low water levels may not cause the boiler to lose its heating capabilities, but may cause fluctuations in its heating capacity. Again, it is advisable to call a professional to diagnose and fix the problem. Poor heating can also be traced to mineral deposits in the boiler. Consult your owner’s manual on instructions how to flush out the boiler.
As always, read the owner guide or operating manual for your boiler. You should get some good tips on proper maintenance and troubleshooting. And have the phone number of a qualified professional taped to your boiler – just in case.