A boiler is a spectacular piece of engineering that can keep your home toasty and warm for decades. Even better, during the entire time it will run, repairs will only be needed on very rare occasions. This makes them a perfect choice for heating in cold climates like ours, where we really don’t want to have a heating system breakdown in the middle of a cold winter night!
The sad truth, however, is that nothing can work perfectly forever. Once in a while, your boiler may need repair. And if you’re so accustomed to it running just fine all the time, you might not know how to tell there’s a problem! We’ve got you covered. Here are the clues you should watch (and listen) for. If any of these things happen, it’s time to get boiler repairs.
Noises
The most common audible sign of boiler trouble is a rumbling sound. Don’t worry, it’s not going to explode! What’s usually going on is very simple. Sediment accumulates from particles in your water, and settles to the bottom of the boiler tank. When water heated at the bottom tries to rise, it has to force its way through the sediment, making burbling noises. This can lead to poor performance, but it probably just needs to be flushed out.
Another sound you might hear from a struggling boiler is rattling. The reason boilers need repairs so rarely is that they have almost no moving parts, as compared to a furnace, which has many. But it does have a circulator pump, and if it’s malfunctioning, it is likely to rattle around in its casing. Get this fixed right away so the pump can be repaired rather than replaced!
Finally, a leak can make noise. Dripping from the boiler itself or somewhere within the piping, gurgling of air bubbles through the pipes, or hissing from a small leak with high water pressure should all be investigated by a professional right away.
Puddles
In addition to the noises a leak may make, it will of course make puddles also. This could be below the boiler itself, or somewhere else near a baseboard register. Leaks from in-floor radiant piping are unlikely, but may be visible as water staining if they do occur.
Odors
Your boiler should never smell like anything! If you don’t have maintenance done (which you definitely should) you might have a brief whiff of scorching dust when you first turn the heat on in the fall. Any other odors are serious business, potentially an electrical problem, and need urgent repair. If it smells like bad eggs, it’s a gas leak. Get out of the house and call for help right away!
Inefficiency
Finally, any system that is struggling will need to use more energy to accomplish the same task. Therefore, whatever is wrong with your boiler, it will almost definitely lead to an increase in your utility bill. Even if this is the only sign you spot, you should still get boiler repair in Hibbing, MN to get to the root of the problem and get your energy costs back down to normal.
If you have any questions or concerns about your boiler or any other part of your HVAC system, we’re always happy to hear from you.
Reach out to Mesaba Heating & Air Conditioning today. Service to you is success to us!