2 Problems With Your Home's Gas Heating System That Require Emergency Repairs

Posted on: 29 March 2021

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If your home's gas furnace starts having issues or breaks down, you probably expect that you will have to wait a few hours or a couple of days for a service call from a contractor to come and fix it. This is especially the case in the middle of winter when other households may be facing issues.

However, there are times when an issue with your heating system takes precedence over other problems and is deemed as an emergency. Below are a couple of problems that need to be addressed as soon as possible by a professional.

1. Strong Odor Resembling That of Rotting Eggs

One problem that warrants an emergency service call from a professional is the presence of a natural gas leak coming from your furnace. When gas is leaking, it will have a strong odor resembling that of rotting eggs that is added to the otherwise odorless gas to aid in its detection.

Natural gas is not only toxic, but its buildup poses an explosion risk. While an occasional whiff of the gas is normal when the furnace first fires up, an overwhelming presence of it coming from your furnace indicates a leak and should never be ignored.

Once you have turned off the furnace and the main gas line to your home, call an emergency HVAC service immediately to have them determine the source of the leak.

2. High Levels of Carbon Monoxide in Your Home

Another issue that should never be ignored when it comes to your home's heating system has to do with the presence of another type of gas — carbon monoxide. Unlike natural gas, however, carbon monoxide is odorless and cannot be detected without an alarm that reads the levels in your home.

Even if you do not have a detector, there are other signs of the gas's presence. Physically, members of your household may start to feel lethargic, nauseous, or unable to breathe properly.

When looking at the furnace, you may find that the flame is burning bright yellow with black carbon caking the interior. If the natural gas is not burning off completely, the black carbon will be given off along with the gas that can cause health issues.

If you suspect that your furnace is leaking natural gas or emitting large amounts of carbon monoxide into your house, do not delay in getting professional help with fixing the problem causing the situation. Turn off your furnace, open your home's windows to let out the gas, and immediately contact an HVAC contractor who offers emergency heating repair services to have them take a look for and repair the problem with the system as soon as possible.

For more information, contact an emergency heating repair service today.