So Your Pilot Light Won’t Stay Lit

One of the most common gas furnace problems is a pilot light that goes out only seconds after being lit. Not only is this frustrating, but since it can keep your furnace from starting up properly, it can be quite distressing as well. Fortunately, this problem is often relatively simple to overcome. This article will teach you how to troubleshoot a pilot light that keeps going out.

How a Pilot Light Works 

The whole idea of a pilot light is that it stays lit all the time. When working, this is the result of the accompanying component known as the thermocouple. The thermocouple senses the heat from the pilot and sends an electrical impulse to the gas valve, telling it to keep the pilot light’s gas flow open. Should the pilot light go out, the thermocouple will cool down and the gas valve leading to the pilot tube will close. This is a safety precaution used to prevent gas from leaking out into your home.

Override Button 

In order to light the pilot, the flow of gas must be restored once more. This is done by pressing a manual override button on the gas valve. This button allows gas to flow up the pilot tube, despite the fact that the thermocouple is not telling the valve to open.

The most common reason for a pilot light to sputter and go out after being lit is that the override button was not depressed for long enough. In other words, the thermocouple simply hasn’t had long enough to heat up. Next time you try lighting the pilot, continue to hold down the override button for ten or fifteen seconds. This will greatly increase the likelihood that your pilot stays going.

As always, please feel free to call Blackie's Heating and Air Conditioning with any questions and/or service needs you may have.

Energy Efficiency Guide for Summer

With summer in full swing and at least a few more weeks of hot, sunny days on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that your home is as energy efficient as possible in order to keep you and your family cool and comfortable without causing your energy bills to skyrocket. There are many ways in which you can make your HVAC system and home as a whole more energy efficient this summer. Continue reading for a few of our top tips on energy efficiency.

·         System maintenance: If it’s been over a year since you’ve had your HVAC system serviced, now is the time! An inspection and overall maintenance can help your system to run at peak performance, saving you money and keeping your home cool.

·         Clean air filters: The air filters in your HVAC system should be cleaned or replaced at the start of every new season, sometimes more often depending on your system usage. When your air filters are dirty, your system is forced to work harder in order to push air through your vents into your home. Keeping your air filters clean can go a long way in keeping your system running at maximum efficiency.

·         Keep clean: Keeping your home clean is an easy way to increase energy efficiency. When dust, pet fur, and other allergens are eliminated from the air, furniture, and linens in your home, they are less likely to get caught in ducts and air filters and slow down your system. Frequent vacuuming and sweeping can go a long way towards eliminating these allergens, and an air conditioning expert can also help to clean your ducts.

·         Energy audit: A home energy audit can alert you to where energy is being lost in your home and the changes you can make in order to make your home more energy efficient. Our team is proud to offer energy evaluations in order to help you make your home as comfortable and healthy as possible.

For more information on energy efficiency or to schedule a home energy audit in Tilton IL, click here to visit our website.

Why We're Here

Most of you don’t call us just because you feel like chatting (unless our moms are reading this blog). Most of you get in touch with us because you have something on your mind. We’re glad that you do.
We want to know whatever problem you’re experiencing with your home comfort, because we want to help solve it. That’s why we’re here. It’s to serve customers who want to be comfortable indoors, who want to breathe clean indoor air and who want to save on their energy bills.
We’re part of the air conditioning and heating industry for a reason. And it’s not because we’re afraid of hard work. This kind of residential contracting work that takes us into attics, basements and all other parts of the home on really hot days can get quite messy. But that is not a problem for us.
In fact, we like knowing that we’re going to make your life better and a lot more comfortable by the time we’re done with our service or installation. After all, it sure does feel great to restore someone’s air conditioning system on a very hot day – and see the relief on their face when they feel the relief in their cool home.
So, if we can ever be of service to you, be sure to let us know. We’re happy to help.

Prevent Costly Winter Heating System Repairs BEFORE the Worst of Winter Hits!

We'll inspect your entire system, tune it up, clean it out and get it ready to do its job over the next few months. If anything needs repair, we'll do it on the spot if possible. (This avoids "emergency" service calls when your system unexpectedly stops working.)
Once your system is serviced, you'll rest easy and keep warm without worry of your system breaking.

Schedule today and get 10% off winter service AND any needed repairs!

Right now, we have a winter service sale going on. We're offering select families a gift of a 10% discount until 2/10/2017. (With this huge saving on winter service, there's no longer any good reason to risk heating system breakdowns.)

Please book your service appointment now to lock in savings and to make sure you can get the date and time you want. Just fill out this form online, and add "Prevent Costly Winter Heating System Repairs" in the comments section, or email us at admin@blackies.com or give us a call at (217) 442-1440 to lock in the 10% discount on winter service now, because with these prices, we're sure to get booked up fast.

What About My Warranty?

Most heating and cooling systems will come with a warranty whenever you purchase a new system. The length of coverage ranges depending on the system and you can even extend them sometimes when your coverage is almost up. Warranties are great for those unforeseen repair needs, especially if your system is only a few years old.

But did you know that your warranty could be voided if the manufacturer determines that neglect of maintenance was the cause? Just like you would get an oil change or tune-up on your car, your heating and cooling system needs this same attention. You don’t want your car’s transmission to blow up just like you don’t want your heater to stop working this fall. Especially if you’ll be stuck with the full bill because it could have been prevented with a tune-up.

Unfortunately sometimes, we’ve just got to learn, but we have come up with a few ways to help you avoid this trouble with “How to Avoid Lessons Learned the Hard Way.” How to Avoid Lessons Learned the Hard Way Take a look; it could save you a lot of money in the future.

Cost of Comfort

With the economy the way it is and rising natural gas costs, we have to try and find a balance of cost over comfort. That’s why being energy efficient is so important these days because it can save you a lot of money on your energy bills.

At Blackie's Heating and Air Conditioning, we have several ways to check your system to make sure it is running at optimal performance and keeping more money in your pocket. There are also some small things that you can do to cut down on energy costs. Change your HVAC filters monthly during peak heating and cooling seasons. They only cost a few bucks to replace and a dirty filter makes your system work harder and longer. You can also look for any leaks around your windows or doors that could be letting the heat escape.

If you want to know more about what to expect come this cold season, read our free report “Predicting the Cost of Your Home Heating.” You can see more about the costs of natural gas and a way to cut down your energy usage by 20% from last year.

The Down and Dirty of Your Home Comfort System

As with most things, the better care you take of your heating and air conditioning unit, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. If you neglect your system, then it could be underperforming, and this can really show on your energy bill.

There are simple things you can do to help take care of your system like changing your air filters. This keeps dust and dirt from getting into the system and clogging it up. However, through your system’s months and years of service, it still can collect dust. This dirt buildup reduces airflow through your system which makes it have to run longer to heat or cool your house. If your system is outside, it can also pick up debris from items like your dryer vents, leaves and lawn mower dust.

It’s important to get your system cleaned and tuned up at least once a year to keep it running safely and efficiently. Read this report about “The Cost of Neglecting Your Home Comfort System” to see more about the hidden costs of putting off maintenance for your home comfort system.