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Furnace Repair : Common Problems & How to Fix Them

December 19, 2018
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Most of us know that furnace repair and installation in Winnipeg isn’t exactly a weekend do-it-yourself project. Not only are winters here unforgiving, new high-efficiency gas furnaces are a lot more complicated than they used to be.

One mistake can leave you and your family without heat at a crucial time. This can also impact the cost of your homeowner’s insurance. When in doubt, make sure that only certified Winnipeg heating repair professionals make any changes to your home or commercial HVAC system. With that being said, it helps to know how to identify common furnace problems and which ones you can attempt to fix yourself.

 

What to Watch Out For

Some of the most common HVAC issues can include:

 

  • Problems with the Blower: If you turn your furnace on and hear it start, but the air never makes its way to the vents, you may have a blower problem. This can involve complicated motors and other parts that only a HVAC expert should try and navigate. The only remedy that you should try for this is to change the filters as they can sometimes block the airflow and impact switches within the furnace mechanism.
  • The Air Never Heats Up: This can have several causes such as problems with the pilot ignition or cracked heat exchange. Both of these fixes can cost a pretty penny and could be avoided with regular professional maintenance. 
  • Broken Thermostat: This could be either very simple, or very complicated. The DIY fix is simply to check and replace the batteries in the box. If this doesn’t work, it could indicate a problem with the thermostat’s sensor and the electrical wiring between the box and the furnace. It can be difficult to pin down this problem and it needs to be properly investigated by a professional.
  • High-Pitched Distressing Squeal: If turning your furnace on means covering your ears, you could be dealing with a broken, slipping or torn blower belt. Just like a vehicle, there are belts powered by small engines that cause your furnace to blow out air. If this belt breaks, so will the blower. This is always something that needs to be taken care of by a certified technician.
  • Inconsistent Heat: Check the pilot light. If it’s flickering unevenly or burning inconsistently, then you could have a gas flow problem. Again, this isn’t a problem that you should attempt yourself. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic and can be deadly when handled incorrectly. Professionals will have the tools and the knowledge to repair this safely.
  • Constantly Blowing: A furnace that never stops blowing can have a defective limit switch. If you aren’t absolutely sure what this is and what it does, then call in an experienced HVAC company to help.

Read more tips on general tips on how to prepare your furnace this winter, click here.


For skilled heating repair in Winnipeg, contact the experts at East Side Ventilation. We have the experience and resources to keep your home or business comfortable and problem-free this winter. Call us at 204-667-8700 or contact us online for more information.


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Jo-Ann Borger

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Simple: ESV is Good, Excellent, Friendly and On time

Service: Duct Cleaning

Rick Negrich

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Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value Had Chris come to our home and service our LifeBreath HRV. Took the time to explain its normal operations and what was the issue with it. Took the time to point out what was happening with it and what he had to do. Extremely professional and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend him and Eastside. Awesome!!!

Service: Repair HVAC

Simon

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Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value One of the best HVAC companies in Winnipeg. Great, professional people. Everyone I spoke with was very polite and easy to deal with. Very knowledgeable of every aspect of what we needed. I would recommend Eastside Ventilation to anyone. They are top notch. Great first experience!! The Technician was knowledgeable & friendly. Took his time checking my system & explained things so that I could understand. Looking forward to being a long-time customer!

Services: Thermostat repair, Install thermostat, Repair HVAC, HVAC duct & vent repair, Ductless heating & A/C services, HVAC duct & vent cleaning, A/C system repair, HVAC duct & vent installation, Heating system repair, Heating system maintenance, Heating system installation, A/C system maintenance, Install AC, HVAC system maintenance

Dan Reimer

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Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value We just had our Furnace and Ducts cleaned and I just had to write up a review on Eastside Ventilation because it was amazing. From Dan D who accommodated a last min date change and set up the appointment to Scott and Paul who did everything right! A quick call 20 min before coming with a heads up. When they got here they introduced themselves right away to me and my wife and even our dogs liked them. They were Quick, Friendly professional, clean, covid friendly and bottom line good guys. Afterwards Scott gave me a recap of what they did what they found and even put in my new filter (one of those ugly accordion ones that take forever) then they both said it was nice to meet us and were gone... thanks guys and thanks Eastside.

Service: HVAC duct & vent cleaning

S G

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Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value
This company did all the ductwork in our home when we built it 18 years go. They also installed our furnace and air conditioner. We hired them because the general contractor (Walter... can't remember his last name, sorry) who we hired to organize the building of our home said they have good pricing and do good work.
Anyway, Walter was right. And because of that, East Side Ventilation has been my go-to company any time I need anything done with my HVAC system for the past 18 years. The staff is professional, friendly, on time, and does excellent work. I highly recommend them. :) In case that loyalty makes it sound like I know them, I figure I ought to mention that I do NOT know the owners or staff on a personal level. It's just that I was really happy with their work when we built our home, and I see no reason to try anyone else and risk being unhappy with the workmanship. Some reviewers have mentioned that they couldn't get an exact quote ahead of time... I'm guessing that's because they bill based on how long it takes them to do the job, and they don't know that until they've done it. And I'm guessing they have enough business that they don't have to spend their time doing free in-home estimates anymore - and frankly, I don't blame them - I wouldn't do free in-home estimates either if I had enough business to avoid having to waste time on that. In any case, I've never worried about their pricing because like I said, they do good work and they're honest.

Jill Hart

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Positive: Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value
Chris came out to make it possible for our new dryer to be bottom ventilated. The existing hole was not in the right place. We were very impressed by his professionalism and attention to detail. He thought outside the box, anticipating issues the dryer installer might have and gave us extra ducting and a different elbow than the one we had. I had asked him to cut the duct flush with the bottom of the dryer, as that's what the installer said the night before, but Chris left it 1/4 inch higher as he didn't think the installer would be able to connect it easily otherwise. The installer came just as Chris was about to leave, and confirmed that it was a good thing that Chris left the extra margin of metal for him. Chris also said he added a brace to the ducting under the floor so that it was more solid than before. Our reno guy, who was also there doing work, took a look at it and said it looked really good. Chris was polite and prompt as well, and the man answering the phone, whom I talked to about 3 times, was always polite and helpful, giving me confidence. I would definitely recommend this company.

Tero Heikkinen

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Needed emergency support for an air conditioner that stopped working on the weekend. The technician was able to come out the next day when most other places were closed all weekend. He was crazy knowledgeable and his initial thoughts on the problem was replacing a $35 part. Turned out he was right! I highly recommend them for AC repair and will look to try them out for furnace maintenance this fall.

S Adam

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One of my daughter's and her husband just bought their first house. What better house warming gift than a duct cleaning... I know brilliant right!
I had the fine folks at East Side Ventilation clean my ducts many months ago and they did an honest great job. They were friendly and very professional. Their tech took the time to explain why the A/C was having a hard time cooling the second floor. This 100+ year old house was not built with A/C in mind. I asked my daughter how they were? She couldn't stop saying again how great they were. Definitely 5 star and 2 thumbs up!

Debbie Fedak

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Called East Side. Came down the next day and fixed "immediately". Jason and I believe Manny, thank you so much. There is good service out there!!! Great work ethics, hard to find now days but we sure did. Merry Christmas to you all. Will rebook the cleaning and HRV balancing in January with you! Merry Christmas All. Brian & Debbie

Gerard and Daryl

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Great service! Slight mixup in booking initially however when tech came he was quick, clearly knew what he was doing and fixed the issue. Would recommend them.

A Bright

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Honest quick reliable, I questioned the amount billed and was a little upset that I had to pay for another call due to ordering of parts, however they worked with me, would definitely recommend.

Lyle Baraniuk

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Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value Dave was super. Great service and I appreciate that they stand behind their work.

Services: Heating system installation, Repair HVAC

Darlene Poplawski

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Went above and beyond, resolved our problem and took the time to explain. They were prompt, service was professional, would definitely recommend.

Melanie Neufeld

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Quick, knowledgeable and friendly. I will be calling them for all my future needs

Patricia Shymko

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They came punctually and did a good job

David Wallful

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Very professional. Great service.

Madison

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Fantastic service!

chris joss

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Service: Heating system maintenance

Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness, Value

Sandy Singh

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Highly satisfied and excellent service

Service: Duct Cleaning and Equipment repair

Sunday Adeoti

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Friendly, Excellent and Professional

Service: Winnipeg Duct Cleaning

H Morry

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East Ventilation is friendly and on time service

Service: Equipment Replacement

Randy Clegg

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Professional trades people. Well-co-ordinated, timely schedule. I was completely satisfied. Tradesman worked with other trades to ensure no conflicts of install components.

Nancy E

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Sam was terrific. He explained everything as he did his work and I know he did a thorough job. Very personable. I have been using Eastside for furnace maintenance and repair for the last 4 years and I have always been very pleased with their work. I feel they are very honest and dependable.