In areas like Provo, Utah that are known for their freezing winters and significant snowfall, keeping warm during the cold months is high on people’s priority lists. As a result, almost all homes here are equipped with boiler heating systems. These allow hot air to be dispersed throughout the house, thus keeping the place warm and allowing for a regulation of the thermostat.

Unlike furnace heaters, which uses convection to circulate warm air in a room, boiler heaters instead use radiant heat to directly warm the objects in a room. This warms the room much quicker and can make the room feel warmer than the actual air temperature. In some cases, it may even provide a more balanced heat distribution during winter months.

This is why it is so important to always have your boiler properly functioning in your home, especially when winter is approaching. Hence, it is recommended that you regularly conduct maintenance checks to your boiler. If you discover something is in need of repair, it is best to contact a professional right away. There are many companies that offer diagnostic and yearly boiler repair services, as well as longer-term customer care and support.

Here are some indications that your boiler might be in need of immediate maintenance and repair:

You hear kettle-like sounds.

If you hear a loud whistling or rumbling sound coming from your boiler, it is advisable to have it looked at as soon as possible. This is typically caused by mineral deposits from hard water, which have built up within the boiler. This, in turn, increases the pressure inside the tank, which is what makes the loud sounds. Furthermore, this makes your boiler more prone to sudden leakages, which is definitely much more dangerous.

Your boiler tank is leaking.

If you notice that there is water that is leaking or dripping out of the tank or any pipes, you need to have this remedied as soon as possible. If the leak is coming from the boiler tank, this is an indication that the tank itself may be corroding and thus is in need of replacement. Another possible cause for a leak is a loose or malfunctioning pressure relief valve or pump, in which case this is relatively easy to fix.

You have problems with the pilot light.

In order to have your boiler produce heat, you would need to light the pilot light. Although many boilers today use electronic ignition to provide heat only when needed, so that you would not need to have the pilot light running all day and all night, you might still encounter problems with lighting the pilot light when you need to do so. In such cases, you would need to consult a heating technician to diagnose and resolve the exact issues with your pilot light and ignition.

You are not getting any heat at all.

In the worst cases, your boiler might be turned on and it seems like it is working perfectly, but your room is not being warmed and you do not feel a change in temperature. There may be plenty of reasons for this, from a broken pump, to problems with the safety switch, to even simple problems with the thermostat. This is why it is necessary to consult a professional when this kind of issue occurs, as they are the only ones who will be able to tell you for sure what the root of the problem is.