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Jeff Bolton, JOB Heating & Air Conditioning's Boiler Expert Shares 5 Reasons Your Boiler May Be Malfunctioning

31. Oct 2023 Admin Saskatoon Plumbing, Trusted Tips
JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Saskatoon is eager to provide the best possible customer experience. Their aim is to be a professional resource for our clients before, during, and after the sale! Jeff at JOB is a recognized expert when it comes to boilers and in his latest tip he shares 5 reasons why your boiler may not be working as it should.  

5 Reasons Your Boiler May Be Malfunctioning 

Boilers heat water. The water is then turned into steam or hot water. The steam heat moves through pipes into the rest of the house and is dispersed through radiators. The hot water versions move water through baseboard radiators or radiant floor systems, or they heat air via a coil. When boiler are not working as they should there are a few things that could be going wrong 

Neglecting Maintenance:

Failure to perform regular boiler maintenance is a leading cause of boiler problems. Debris, scale, and dirt can accumulate over time, reducing efficiency and potentially causing breakdowns. Make sure you schedule annual maintenance checks to clean and inspect your boiler thoroughly.


Pressure Problems:

Low or high boiler pressure can lead to issues. Low pressure results in insufficient heat production, while high pressure can be dangerous and trigger system shutdown. Check the pressure gauge and keep it within the recommended range, typically around 1 to 1.5 bar, to ensure proper boiler operation.

Thermostat Troubles:

Sometimes, the issue lies with the thermostat rather than the boiler itself. Incorrect thermostat settings can lead to inadequate heating. Make sure your thermostat is programmed to your desired temperature, and consider replacing it if it’s malfunctioning.

Frozen Condensate Pipe:

In freezing weather, the condensate pipe that carries wastewater from the boiler to the drain can freeze and cause a blockage. When this occurs, the boiler may shut down to prevent damage. To fix this, thaw a frozen condensate pipe by pouring warm (not boiling) water over it and insulating it to prevent future freezes.

Faulty Components:

Boilers contain numerous small parts, and a failure in any of them can lead to system malfunctions. Parts like a malfunctioning pump, gas valve, or pressure relief valve can result in a loss of heat or even pose a safety risk.

Regular maintenance, proper pressure monitoring, thermostat adjustments, and insulation, as well as addressing faulty components, are essential for maintaining efficient boiler operation. If you’re uncertain about any of these signs or these issues continue, it’s a good idea to contact a certified technician fin Saskatoon who can assess and repair your boiler, making sure your home stays warm and comfortable during the winter months. Remember that addressing boiler issues promptly not only ensures your comfort but also extends the lifespan of your heating system.

At JOB, we handle the installation, repair, and maintenance of both new and existing commercial and residential boiler systems in Saskatoon, Warman, Martensville and area. The knowledgeable and Trusted Saskatoon team at JOB offer service or replacement of all boilers from Camus and Lochinvar® and are factory trained on Viessmann systems as well.

We show up on time, deliver on budget and we leave the work area cleaner than when we arrived! At JOB we take pride in our plumbing services in this city and surrounding area, so nothing means more to us than testimonials from our clients as their preferred plumber in Saskatoon.


Trusted Saskatoon Air Conditioning Experts at JOB Share Tips to Optimize Air Conditioning and Improving Energy Efficiency

13. Jul 2023 Admin Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Saskatoon is eager to provide the best possible customer experience. Their aim is to be a professional resource for our clients before, during, and after the sale! Their team takes pride in service knowledge of modern equipment and training. They are recognized by peers and offer sales, service, training & installations for residential and commercial Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing systems in Saskatoon and the surrounding area. JOB Heating & Air are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace and Air Conditioning Experts. 


Tips To Optimize Air Conditioning and Improving Energy Efficiency


Set the Thermostat Appropriately: Set your thermostat to the highest temperature that is comfortable for you. Each degree lower can significantly increase energy consumption. Aim for a temperature around 24-26 degrees Celsius (75-78 degrees Fahrenheit) for a balance between comfort and energy savings.


Additional tips for maximizing air conditioning efficiency:

  • Use a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature based on your schedule. Set it to a higher temperature when you're away from home or sleeping and lower it when you're present.
  • Consider using a smart thermostat that can learn your preferences and adjust the temperature accordingly, optimizing energy usage.
  • Make use of zoning systems if available. This allows you to cool specific areas or zones of your home rather than cooling the entire space, saving energy.

Other practices to keep your home cool and reduce the need for excessive air conditioning:

  • Use natural ventilation: Open windows during cooler times of the day or night to let in fresh air and create a cross-breeze. Ceiling fans or portable fans can also help circulate air and create a cooling effect.
  • Utilize shading: Close curtains, blinds, or shades during the day to block out direct sunlight and heat. Use light-coloured window coverings that reflect heat instead of absorbing it.
  • Minimize heat sources: Turn off unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronics that generate heat. Use energy-efficient lighting options like LED bulbs that produce less heat.
  • Insulate and seal your home: Properly insulate your home to prevent cool air from escaping and hot air from entering. Seal any air leaks around windows, doors, and ductwork to improve energy efficiency.

Implementing these tips can help you optimize your air conditioning system's efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and lower your cooling costs while keeping your home comfortable. Have question? Contact our team at JOB



Trusted Saskatoon Air Conditioning Experts at JOB Share Why Your Air Conditioner Is Not Cooling

9. May 2022 Admin Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning Saskatoon is eager to provide the best possible customer experience. Their aim is to be a professional resource for our clients before, during, and after the sale! Their team takes pride in service knowledge of modern equipment and training. They are recognized by peers and offer sales, service, training & installations for residential, and commercial Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing systems in Saskatoon and the surrounding area. JOB Heating & Air are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace and Air Conditioning Experts. 



Why Your Air Conditioner Is Not Cooling

An A/C unit that’s not cooling your home is a big problem. After all, that’s its one job.

When your A/C doesn’t perform as it should, it can be frustrating, time-consuming, and very hot.

There are several reasons your air conditioner may be failing to perform. The experts at JOB are going to walk through each one – and how best to fix it.


1. Your Thermostat Isn’t Cooperating

Your first stop is your thermostat. You should make sure that your thermostat is not only set to ‘ON’ but that it is set to ‘COOL’. Test that it’s working by setting the thermostat several degrees cooler than the stated temperature. You want to feel that chill!


If you can hear the air conditioner running, but minutes later still don’t feel any cool air coming through the vents, there could be something wrong with your thermostat and its electrical wiring. Fixing that problem is best left to a professional. You should also make sure all your windows and doors are sealed shut and your supply and return vents are open and unblocked. Little things like this are easy to forget about but super easy to fix.


2. A Breaker Has Been Tripped

This tip is only for those homeowners whose air conditioners are not running. Your A/C runs on electricity. No electricity going to your air conditioner means no cool air, making your home a summer paradise. It’s time to travel to the location of your breaker panel and do a check. The breakers for your air conditioner should be clearly labelled. Flip them off and on again, and see if this makes a difference.

3. Your Air Filter Is Clogged

Just because your air filter is located in your furnace’s blower doesn’t mean your air conditioner doesn’t use it. Your furnace’s air handler is what pushes the cooled air through the filter, through your ductwork, and into your home.

Therefore, if your air filter becomes clogged with dirt and debris, it’ll act like a cork in a bottle: little to nothing is getting past it. Jeff at JOB recommends checking your filter once a month and changing it at least every three months—more often if you have hairy pets, allergies, or a lot of people living in your home. Air filters can be found at local hardware and home stores. Make sure you replace your current filter with one the same size.

4. Your Outdoor Unit is Coated in Dirt and Debris

Sensing a theme here? Dirt is no friend to an air conditioner. Your air conditioner condenser is located outside your home and exposed to the elements when used. After a while, all that wind and rain is bound to blow dirt and debris into it. If there’s too much dirt, your condenser can’t perform the heat exchange process efficiently. There are things you can do to help with this particular problem.

For example, tidying up the landscaping around your condenser will help keep branches, bushes, and other vegetation from adding to the debris buildup. Jeff at JOB  recommends keeping about 46 centimetres of space clear on all sides of your condenser. You should also wash your condenser regularly with water and soap. Gently wipe away dirt from the condenser fins, being very careful that they don’t break. In the offseason, ensure your condenser has a cover and is secured tightly.

5. Houston, We Have a Mechanical Problem

While annual maintenance is an excellent way to reduce the risk of mechanical breakdowns, they can still happen. Whether it’s a broken fan motor or compressor, a mechanical problem could be the reason your A/C is not cooling properly. If you suspect a mechanical problem, you should call JOB right away.

6. The Refrigerant in Your Air Conditioner is Leaking

Air conditioners use continuously circulating refrigerant to cool air. Usually, the refrigerant level never changes, and your air conditioner is perfectly fine. If you spring a leak, that refrigerant level drops – and so does the amount of cool air you get. Refrigerant leaks can be identified by ice buildup, hissing noises, or a noticeable decrease in cooling efficiency. If you have a refrigerant leak, turn off your air conditioner and call us immediately. This is a problem that should only be handled by experienced professionals.


7. Your AC Wasn’t Properly Installed

Unfortunately, this is seen constantly with air conditioners and furnaces. An improperly installed air conditioner won’t efficiently provide the cool air you need. This is something you’ll notice after you get a new air conditioner. They can give you a second opinion and do what they can to fix any potential problems. The size of your air conditioner is also essential. If it’s too big or too small, you won’t be able to cool your home efficiently. Before buying an air conditioner, meet with a qualified home specialist who can evaluate and make recommendations.

8. Your Air Conditioner is Over the Hill

There comes a day when even the best air conditioner in the world gets too old. Generally, after 15 years, you want to start paying close attention to your air conditioner's performance. If it gets to a point where you’re spending hundreds of dollars a year to keep it going, or your A/C is not cooling your home at all, it’s time for a replacement. The experts at JOB can perform an in-home consultation and walk you through the latest models, making recommendations for your home and needs.



A warning for consumers about fraud in the furnace and air conditioning industry in Saskatoon

9. Jun 2020 Admin Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace, Saskatoon Plumbing, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs!In this Saskatoon HVAC article,  Jeff Bolton, owner of JOB, highlights how important it is to be aware of scams in the Saskatoon air-conditioning and furnace marketplace. 


JEFF FROM JOB WARNS AGAINST FRAUD IN SASKATOON’S HVAC INDUSTRY

The feeling of being ripped off is horrible, and I count myself fortunate that I haven’t been the victim of fraud very much in my life. However,  I am sad to say that I deal with victims of contractor fraud too often in Saskatoon.  In my latest article, I share another example that happened recently, as I want to educate consumers on what to look out for.- Jeff , owner of JOB


Fraud takes many different forms

I was recently at a lady’s home to provide a quote to replace the furnace and air conditioner. Her house was the same as most other homes in our city,  in fact she lives just  4 blocks away from my family. She invited me in and we exchanged pleasantries,  then I asked her the burning question that had been top of mind since I pulled up outside.  Why was she requesting a quote for a new home comfort system in a house that was no more than 12 years old?

She explained that the night before her furnace had stopped working. This was especially an issue as the overnight temperature in Saskatoon had dropped to about  -30C. Unfortunately, she was unaware that JOB offers 24-hour emergency service and she had called another company.

The other company turned up, identified the problem but they didn’t have the part required ( It was 4 am, so I give them a pass on that one,) . They  returned at 8:30 am with the correct part to fix the issue and the tech took it upon himself to go through her furnace and air conditioner. He noted that there were old watermarks both on the side and at the base of the furnace, which I can verify. As someone that has a career in the furnace and air conditioning industry, the source of the water was very evident to me.It was clear that at some point, probably in the summertime, the evaporator coil had frozen and then melted.

One indication about this was the plugged air filter leaning up against the furnace.


The other technician told this very nice lady that her furnace was over ten years old and a crack COULD happen in the heat exchanger (even though he couldn’t find any crack) and that would send carbon monoxide into her home potentially killing her, her partner and her dogs!! If that ominous threat was not enough,  he also told her that her air conditioner unit had a leak and would also need to be replaced.


Now, it is possible that she may have a leak in the air conditioner, but there’s simply no way to determine that when it’s -26C outside!  Saying that she has a leak when there is a dirty filter right there is, “bullcrap!”


The other thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, is the 3 carbon monoxide detectors I saw in her home. I will not downplay carbon monoxide poisoning,  because it is the biggest threat to life that we face in the HVAC industry, however, there was no sign of that here. When questioned, she confirmed that the carbon monoxide detectors had never gone off. In addition, one of the detectors displays the level of CO present and when I checked it showed zero.


Let me be VERY clear here, this person was simply using fear tactics to sell a new furnace and air conditioner to this lady.

If you get a flat tire on your Chevy do you buy a new Mercedes??

 

 

 

“But he said I’m in imminent danger!” Said the lady

 

The moral of the story about fraud in Saskatoon’s HVAC Industry, is to be careful, ask questions and deal with the right people. Start by looking for businesses on TrustedSaskatoon .com.

 

JOB Heating has been a TrustedSaskatoon partner from almost the beginning. We are both locally owned and accountable companies and we deal with local companies. Local people always care the most, we care about service and we care about people.  We care because this is my city and my home too.

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today. 



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Trusted Saskatoon Furnace Experts At JOB Heating & Air Share Homeowner Safety Tips

6. Dec 2019 Trusted Saskatoon Saskatoon Furnace & Duct Cleaning, Trusted Tips

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs! 

If your heating system is beyond repair,  or if you just want to upgrade or update, our team will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. We are an independent Lennox Dealer and we offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and home heating tune-ups. We can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs too! You can be assured that JOB Heating & Air Conditioning will be there to help. In this Saskatoon furnace article,  Jeff Bolton, owner of JOB, highlights how important it is to be aware of the threat of carbon monoxide and he shares some winter safety tips for your home. 

Winter Safety Tips For Your Home From JOB Heating & Air 

What does that do and why does it matter?

I was recently in two Saskatoon residences with gas inspections to investigate the source of carbon monoxide in the homes. Thank heavens both homeowners had carbon monoxide detectors,  that in my opinion, saved their lives. Both days I went home and checked my CO detector.

When was the last time that you checked your CO Detector?

Go do it now then come back and finish reading…
So how this works is usually the fire department or Sask Energy get a call,  then they visit the home with their carbon monoxide meters to assess the level and then, if reading show and issue they red tag the furnace unit and shut off the gas. The Red Tag program provides a consistent means for gas utilities, propane distributors, gas contractors or others deemed appropriate by the chief gas inspector to report unresolved gas-related deficiencies or identify reoccurring design flaws. The issuing of red tags is only done by a licensed gasfitter.

What to do when you have a red tag.


The homeowner should then call us to come to correct the problem. We will go through the furnace and water heater with a fine-tooth comb to attempt to find the source of the carbon monoxide.

Sometimes it is a crack in a heat exchanger, however, sometimes the furnace and water heater are working exactly as they should. It is then incumbent upon us to investigate why the carbon monoxide is present in the home. In these locations we often find that the homes are drawn into negative pressure, what that means is that the homes are exhausting more air than fresh air coming into the home. As you may remember from science class,  areas of high pressure always go to areas of low pressure. So what happens is the high pressure outside finds a way into the area of low pressure (inside the home) through any possible route. If the doors and windows are closed then the only other hole in the home is the chimney. Air begins to flow down the chimney to replace the air that’s being exhausted out of the home. So why is that an issue? This becomes a problem when the furnace or water heater begins to fire and there is no draft up the chimney. This then results in the products of combustion (carbon monoxide) being vented into the home.


What can homeowners do to prevent this from happening? 


There are items in your home to prevent this from happening. In most cases, the insulated vent that runs from the outside of your home into the furnace room brings what we call combustion air. The combustion air helps to regulate the pressure of your home preventing your home from getting into a negative air pressure situation. This is also the air that is used when the furnace or water heater are firing up and sometimes this air supply can become blocked. On occasion, we have found that homeowners will purposely block the intake because they don’t like the cold air coming in.

I need to stress how important this is and that by blocking this you are putting yourself and your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. So please don’t block this or if you have, open it up immediately.

Another more common problem is that the air intakes themselves become blocked. These intakes appear from the outside like exhaust vents but when you bend over and look up inside them they are in fact air intakes with a screen that needs to be clear of all debris. A good rule of thumb is to walk around the perimeter of your home and look for these vent/intake hoods. Look up inside them and clean them up. This is a simple 10-minute job and this will help to protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Do your intakes look like this? 


  • Go outside today walk around your home and clean these intakes.
  • Check your carbon monoxide detectors
  • Check your smoke alarms. 
These 2 devices save lives every day you just don’t hear about it. If you don’t have a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector buy them and put them in your home today. I promise you they save lives.

Then have us come out and do a furnace tune-up. We test the furnace and ensure it is functioning as it should be, in addition, we clean the parts of the furnace that you cannot.  

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today. Jeff Bolton. Owner- JOB Heating and Air Conditioning


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