Many of us save money and buy a nice old house to fix up or move into some apartments that are not the trendy ones in the good part of town. What happens is you end up living with some rather outdated appliances, not so insulated walls and windows, and perhaps a furnace that looks a bit like an antique.
If you are in this situation you need to go out to Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware store and get yourself a carbon monoxide detector. You can also shop online for a good cheap home security company that installs a system that detects break-ins, fire, and deadly gases all for around $20 a month. You really shouldn’t pay more than $20 a month for a home protection system and these things are great because your fire and deadly gas protectors are not battery powered but hook up to your electrical system.
If you want to install a carbon monoxide and deadly gas detector yourself you can buy these at Home Depot and Lowes. They are about $40 a piece and I recommend getting about 5 of them.
Most come with the option to install them as a battery powered system or allow you to hook them up to your electricity in your home. It may cost you a little bit to get an electrician to set this all up and for that reason a home security system may be a better choice for you.
This winter do not wait but go ahead and install something if only battery powered as most deaths in the winter do not happen from the cold weather but by carbon monoxide poisoning from a broken furnace leaking this deadly gas into your home.
I personally know of a few different people who have had close calls with carbon monoxide poisoning in Tyler Texas. One family actually past out a couple times, woke up and crawled out of the house on their hands and knees just barely escaping death.
It is common to not recognize the hints of carbon monoxide poisoning. Many people will pass out, hallucinate, and complain of headaches only to go back to sleep. If you have any signs like these go ahead and get out of the house and ask questions later.
The reason people get carbon monoxide leaks is that they do not hire a heating service technician to come into the house every 6 months to 1 year and service the HVAC system including the furnace. The HVAC tech will check for furnace leaks and if they find one by law they must condemn the unit.
I have seen a company in Tyler that actually got mad that a heating repair company was condemning their furnace instead of repairing it but when the furnace is leaking it becomes a safety hazard and could actually kill their employees and customers.
Eventually if a company or home refuses to get their furnace replaced the natural gas utility will turn off service until they get a new furnace.
What To Be Mindful Of Once You Have to Replace That Leaking Death Trap
In one situation I am aware of a new furnace was installed by a certain HVAC company in town that will remain nameless. A cold front came in and lasted 3 weeks. During this time the house was not being heated and so the calls started coming in for the service company to come back out to check on what could be the problem.
The first call it seemed to be simply that the pilot light had gone out. The pilot was lit and the technician left. The calls kept coming in and after the 4th call the furnace techs began to realize it may not just be a pilot light issue.
Now with each new call the technician would replace a different part on the furnace. The gas valve was replaced, then it was a switch, and the incompetence just kept getting worse. The problem eventually settled down but it stopped simply because they cold snap left the Tyler area for a short while.
You guessed it, the cold came back as it usually does in Tyler during the winter and the furnace was once again cold. A supervisor at the HVAC company was finally told of the problem house and the question was raised, “What is the gas pressure at this unit?” None of the furnace techs had a clue. Someone decided to speak up and say, “It’s natural gas, it likely has about half a pound of pressure.” The supervisor retorted, “Get your butts back out there and check it.”
So what did they discover? The gas pressure basically didn’t even exist. The techs called the city of Tyler gas utility only to discover the demand for gas in the area because of the cold was so great that there was low pressure in this area of Tyler at the time.
In summary with a quick glance at a manometer all of this work could have been avoided. This HVAC company could have saved about $800 in parts and labor from all the service calls they did for this one issue. Point being, your furnace repair company should always check for the basics to start off with. For a recommended heating repair company in Tyler please check out Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning
Furnace Tip: How Do I Turn On My Pilot Light?
Turn black knob to “pilot”, about 15 degrees counterclockwise from assumed position. As you turn the black knob press the red pilot button down. When the black knob gets to the right spot the red button will depress further. Hold the red button down and light the pilot. Continue to hold the red button down for 60 seconds before releasing it. You have to hold the red button down until the pilot remains lit on it’s own after the thermistor has heated up. Turn black knob to “on” and everything should be cozy. You won’t hear the gas flow to the pilot. Some gas utilities will actually come out to your house and light your pilot for you for free if you feel uncomfortable doing these instructions. You will need to call Centerpoint Energy to see if they offer this free service.