First Aid For The
Homeowner
All of us in the home
service business know that there's no such thing as a non-emergency
call. To a homeowner with no heat in winter, no air conditioning in
summer, a plugged toilet, broken pipes, no hot water or an unwanted
wading pool in the basement, it is always an emergency. Especially
when the breakdown occurs at exactly the wrong time. As it always
does.
That's why Jack Hall Plumbing and Heating, Inc. emphasizes speed of
service. It's our goal to get to every customer as quickly as
possible. Unfortunately, that's not always possible. So like
soldiers on a battlefield, all homeowners need to know some
elementary first aid to stop the bleeding and stabilize the wounded
until more thorough help can arrive. Here are some of the things you
can do in the event of...
Furnace or boiler failure:
Is there any experience more chilling than waking up in the middle
of winter and seeing your breath? Besides being cold, it usually
costs more to get a service technician out in the middle of the
night. Also, repairs can often take a day or two, which puts your
pipes in jeopardy of freezing.
There are a couple of things you can do that might forestall the
need for a service call. First, check to see if the heating system's
electrical switch is in the on position. This looks just like a
light switch and can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of
the boiler or furnace. Next check the fuse or circuit breaker to the
heating system's electrical line. If the fuse is blown, replace it,
or else flick the circuit breaker back to the on position.
Once you're assured that the power is on, check the thermostat to
make sure nobody turned the dial way down. If it's a programmable
unit, make sure the thermostat is programmed correctly. Finally,
take a look outside to make sure there's not a general power outage
in your neighborhood.
If none of these electrical flukes bear out, you have a more serious
problem. Then call a professional. If you are lucky, a service
technician will be out there before too many hours pass. Sometimes,
though, it may take a day or two to fix your system. Depending on
how severe the weather is, you need to decide whether to seek other
shelter or tough it out with extra blankets and space heaters.
Whatever you do, don't try to generate heat by turning on your
cooking stove. Appliances are not intended for space heating and are
dangerous when used for that purpose.
If you are interested in more, please
check out our
Preventive Maintenance Plan, and you won't have to
worry about at thing. |
