I’ve loved learning about how heating and cooling works for a long time, but I know many of you do not share my same enthusiasm and that’s OK. For instance, many of you only research heating and cooling when there’s a problem with the unit or you’re trying to decide the best heating system for your home. Since I devote a lot of time talking about how to repair heating and cooling systems, I’m going to focus on picking natural gas vs. electric heating for your home and the common gas and electric HVAC repairs that occur with each of them.
Gas Heat
There are some common problems with gas heat including:
- No heat
- Unit making unusual noises during its operation
- Blower doesn’t turn off
- Has frequent on-off activity
Another problem is when the unit’s pilot light won’t come on. This occurs for one of three reasons:
- Insufficient gas flow (caused by an improperly set gas valve)
- Clogged pilot opening
- Damaged thermocouple
repair problem occurs for different reasons like a loose belt, dirty filter or blocked blower.
There many advantages to using gas heat. For instance, it works more efficiently.You’re burning cleaner fuel that as lower emissions too. However, the unit has a lot of different components to work. Also, if you don’t have a gas pipeline, you’ll have to install one to use gas heat.
Electric Heat
As you probably already know HVAC electric heat doesn’t require you to install a gas line because it uses electricity to produce heat. When the air goes through the return, it travels over the heating element (special wires) where it’s warmed. The unit releases the warmed air back into the room.
Some common electric HVAC repairs are similar to gas heat such as no heat and noisy furnace. Of course, the actual electric HVAC repairs differ because each unit has different components. However, there are some other types of electric HVAC repairs. For instance, the unit’s blower runs constantly or it won’t turn on.
- Electric Heat Won’t Turn On
if you need more help making your choice, let me know. I can go more in-depth about the differences and pros and cons of each.