Winter is a beautiful and wonderful time of the year. Most of us like the snow; it can be beautiful and majestic. However, it can also create difficulties.
During a winter snowstorm, we frequently get service calls due to Direct Vent snow blockage. A Direct Vent is an exhaust system designed to vent the furnace fumes out the side of your home. Most of these systems also have fresh air intake for the furnace built into the device. They replace the need for a conventional chimney and are not on every home. When a customer calls us because their furnace is off during a snow storm, the first question we ask is: “Do you have a Direct Vent?”
During a blowing snowstorm, snow can pile up around and over the direct vent. When this happens, the snow blocks off the exhaust and fresh air for the furnace. When the Direct Vent is blocked the furnace will shut down. In most cases, if you clear the snow from around the Direct Vent and then press the reset button on your furnace, the furnace will restart. If it does not, you will need to call our office at 902-453-2121 for a technician to get the furnace working again.
If you have a Direct Vent, it is good to keep an eye on it during the winter, especially during a storm. Clear any snow build-up from around the Direct Vent. You don’t want your heating system to shut down during a cold winter storm.
If you have any questions regarding Direct Vents or any other part of your oil fired heating equipment, please feel free to contact our office. We are always here for you.
Oil Pan Update
In our November Newsletter, we talked about the importance of having a tray under your burner and oil filters. They contain spills or leaks and prevent the oil from spreading over your floor.
Last month one of these pans did its job by containing a leak from a faulty fuel pump.
The pan prevented the oil from spreading. Our technician made the necessary repairs, cleaned up the oil, and cleaned the pan. There was no further issue or costly professional clean-up due to the faulty part.