| When considering maintenance and upkeep for | | | | conditioning, and you should by no means attempt |
| your home in Atlanta, heating and air conditioning | | | | to bypass them. The likely result will be that the |
| should certainly be a priority item. And, just as | | | | system just will not turn on, or it may cause the |
| with any other safety related maintenance issue, | | | | electrical breaker to the equipment to trip off. In |
| those having to do with your heating and air | | | | any case, a qualified heating and air conditioning |
| conditioning are just as important. There are a | | | | technician should be able to easily identify the fault |
| few health and safety issues relating to air | | | | and effect a safe repair. |
| conditioning, but it's really heating repair that most | | | | Natural gas and propane fueled heaters have their |
| comes to mind when issues of safety are | | | | own set of safety concerns. The gas itself has a |
| concerned. | | | | chemical added to it to make it smell. If you ever |
| When discussing heating or air conditioning, you | | | | smell the characteristic pungent aroma of gas, |
| should know that there are certain things in | | | | there could be a leak in the gas piping to your |
| common to both systems. The motors that run | | | | heating equipment, or it might not be igniting |
| the compressors and air handling fans are | | | | properly due to a malfunction. If you perceive the |
| normally very reliable, but with continued use and | | | | strong smell of gas, you should naturally vacate |
| damage from events like lightning strikes, they | | | | the premises and call the gas company |
| can become vulnerable to shorting out electrically. | | | | immediately. However, if you ever detect even a |
| This can happen in one of two ways; the | | | | faint smell, it could indicate a problem requiring |
| insulation on the winding inside the motor can | | | | heating repair. |
| deteriorate and cause the windings to short with | | | | Another threat is not noticeable at all-this comes |
| each other, or the windings can short to the | | | | from carbon monoxide (CO) gas. CO forms from |
| casing of the motor itself. | | | | the incomplete combustion of gas and can be |
| In the first case, the motor will most likely | | | | vented into your home by malfunctioning |
| overheat. Sometimes there is a manual reset | | | | equipment. You should have a checkup of your |
| button on the motor, but if it is reset and the | | | | gas heating system every year by a qualified |
| motor still overheats it may mean there is an | | | | service technician to make sure you don't have a |
| internal short. The case where a motor winding | | | | problem before turning on your heater for the |
| shorts to the case of the motor is very | | | | first time. And, if your home uses gas fueled |
| dangerous because it can cause the equipment to | | | | heat, you should also have CO detectors installed |
| become electrified. In both cases, there are | | | | to protect you from this invisible threat. |
| safety systems built into your heating and air | | | | |