Common Heating Problems in Schenectady
- No heat or a furnace that will not ignite
- Furnace blowing cold air
- Short cycling or the burner shutting off early
- Boiler leaking, losing pressure or locking out
- Banging steam pipes or cold radiators
- Heat pump iced over or stuck in defrost
- Rooms that never warm up
Furnace Repair
Hot surface igniters, flame sensors, inducer motors, pressure switches, gas valves, control boards, blower motors, limit switches and condensate traps on high-efficiency furnaces.
Boiler and Steam Heat Repair
Steam and hot-water boilers, cast iron radiators, baseboard loops, circulator pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks, low-water cutoffs, pressure controls and main and radiator air vents.
Heat Pump Repair
Air-source and ductless heat pumps: defrost controls, reversing valves, outdoor fan motors, refrigerant leaks and backup heat strips.
Older Schenectady Houses
Steam systems in the Stockade and around Union College are often a century old, with one-pipe radiators that bang when the pitch shifts or a vent fails. Converted coal boilers, mixed radiator sizes and add-on zones are common, and each one changes how the system has to be balanced.
Winter Problems in Schenectady and Niskayuna
Long cold stretches in January and February keep furnaces and boilers firing for hours at a time, and that is when worn igniters, weak inducer motors and clogged filters finally fail. High-efficiency furnaces vent through plastic pipes out the side of the house, and drifting snow or ice can block the intake and exhaust and shut the furnace down. Condensate lines that run outside can freeze solid on the coldest nights and trip the safety switch.
Heating Installation
Replacement gas furnaces, high-efficiency boilers, combination boilers that also heat domestic water, and cold-climate heat pumps. For summer cooling see AC repair in Schenectady, and for service across town see heating repair in Niskayuna.
Common Questions
Why does my furnace keep shutting off?
Short cycling on a gas furnace usually comes from a dirty flame sensor, an overheating heat exchanger tripping the limit switch because of a clogged filter or closed vents, or a blocked flue or intake pipe on a high-efficiency furnace.
Why are my radiators banging?
On steam heat, banging is water trapped in the pipes or radiators that are pitched the wrong way. Failed air vents and a boiler water level that is too high add to it. On hot-water systems, trapped air causes gurgling and cold radiators that need bleeding.
Why is my heat pump running all the time in winter?
On the coldest days a heat pump runs long cycles by design. Running nonstop in milder weather points to a low refrigerant charge, an outdoor coil packed with ice or snow, a defrost control that has failed, or backup heat strips that are not coming on.