Heating repair in Aurora, CO for every kind of home heat in the area: gas furnaces, heat pumps with gas or electric backup, electric furnaces, hot water boilers and radiant floor systems. The common thread is a house that is not warm enough, heat that comes and goes, or a system that heats some rooms and not others.
Gas furnaces are the majority in Aurora, but the city's Census numbers show electricity heating about a third of homes, and some tracts near Heather Ridge and Chaddsford lean further toward electric heat. For gas furnace parts like igniters and inducer motors, see furnace repair in Aurora. This page covers the rest of the heating side.
Heat Pump Repair in Aurora
A heat pump in heat mode moves heat from outdoor air into the house. In a Colorado winter it runs a defrost cycle to clear frost from the outdoor coil, and while it defrosts the vent air runs cooler than usual. That is normal. A heat pump that blows cool air all the time, never defrosts, or leaves a thick block of ice on the outdoor coil has a fault.
- Reversing valves and reversing valve solenoids
- Defrost control boards and defrost sensors
- Outdoor fan motors, capacitors and contactors
- Compressor starting parts and wiring
- Backup heat strips, sequencers and their breakers
- Dual fuel controls on heat pumps paired with a gas furnace
Boiler and Radiant Floor Heating Repair
Hot water boilers and radiant floor loops turn up in some older Aurora houses and in basements finished with in-floor heat. Repairs cover circulator pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks, pressure relief valves, air vents, low water cutoffs and boiler ignition and controls. Cold radiators on one zone usually point to a stuck zone valve or air in the loop.
Uneven Heat and Weak Airflow
Rooms over the garage and rooms at the end of a long duct run go cold first. A closed or crushed duct, a blower set to the wrong speed, a clogged filter or a return that is too small can all leave a bedroom cold while the thermostat hallway is warm. Split level and bi-level houses from the 1970s, common in Mission Viejo and Meadowood, often have this problem on the lowest level.
Why Heating Matters More Than Cooling Here
Normals from the NOAA station at Centennial Airport put heating degree days near 6,000 a year against about 640 cooling degree days. Heating load in this part of Aurora is roughly nine times the cooling load (NOAA U.S. climate normals). The heating system carries the house for most of the year, which is why heating repair leads the list here. Service reaches Summer Valley, east Centennial and the full Aurora service area.
Sources and local offices: Aurora, Colorado, 80013 housing data.
Questions About Heating Repair
Why is my furnace running but not producing heat?
If the blower runs and the air is cool, the burners are off. That points to a flame sensor, igniter, gas valve, pressure switch or limit switch. If the air is warm but the house will not heat up, look at the filter, closed vents, leaking ducts and a furnace that is small for the house.
Why has my heating stopped working but hot water is fine?
The water heater and the furnace are separate appliances on the same gas line. Hot water tells you gas is reaching the house, so the fault is inside the furnace or at its controls: thermostat, power switch, igniter, flame sensor, pressure switch or control board.
Why does my heating keep turning itself off?
A safety switch is shutting the system down. Overheating from a dirty filter or blocked return trips the high limit. A blocked vent or full condensate trap opens the pressure switch. A thermostat with weak batteries or a loose wire can also drop the call for heat.
Why would a heat pump cool but not heat?
A heat pump switches between heating and cooling with a reversing valve. If the valve sticks or its solenoid fails, the system stays in cooling mode. A thermostat set up for the wrong system type can do the same.
Why is my heat pump blowing cold air when it's set to heat?
Defrost cycles make the vent air run cooler for a short time, which is normal. Cold air that does not stop means the heat pump is not moving heat, or the backup heat is not coming on when it should. Reversing valves, defrost boards and heat strips are the usual suspects.
How to tell if a heat pump is going bad?
Warning signs include ice that stays on the outdoor coil, a unit that runs nonstop without warming the house, backup heat running most of the time, loud buzzing or grinding outside, and breakers that trip. Capacitors, contactors, fan motors and defrost boards are the parts that fail most.
Is a heat pump a good idea in Colorado?
Cold climate heat pumps are built to keep heating in colder weather, and many Front Range homes pair a heat pump with a gas furnace or electric heat strips for the coldest nights. The backup heat is the part to keep in working order.
What is the drawback of emergency heat?
Emergency heat runs the electric heat strips alone, without the heat pump. It heats the house, but it draws much more electricity, so it is meant for the time the heat pump is down, not for everyday use.
Can a boiler be repaired?
Yes. Circulator pumps, zone valves, expansion tanks, relief valves, igniters and controls are all replaceable parts. A boiler with a leaking heat exchanger is the case where repair stops making sense.
What are common boiler problems?
Low water pressure, air in the lines, leaking relief valves, a failed circulator pump, stuck zone valves and kettling, the rumbling sound from scale on the heat exchanger.