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The Importance of Toronto Boiler Repair Services

It might only be the end of January but it’s never too soon to start thinking about scheduling professional Toronto boiler repair services to take care of your spring boiler maintenance checklist. While your boiler receives the majority of it’s use during the winter months it’s also important to ensure its working properly after being used so heavily and can support your needs throughout the spring and any cool summer nights. Scheduling Toronto boiler repair services from a reputable company like Novel Care is the best way to ensure your boiler maintenance checklist is completed every year.

Toronto Boiler Repair Services Spring Checklist

  1. Safety Valve Re-calculation & Re-certification: The safety valve on a boiler is incredibly important as it is the final line of defence against any sort of catastrophic boiler failure such as over-pressurization. Modern boilers usually have safety checks and controls, but older models need to be checked regularly to ensure they’re functioning properly incase repair or replacement is necessary.
  2. Fireside Gaskets: Fireside gaskets should be checked regularly and replaced as necessary. Consulting with professional Toronto boiler repair services to ensure this is done correctly is essential to the health of your boiler.
  3. Boiler Pressure Gauge Re-calculating: Many boilers have pressure gauges that are mounted directly on the boiler itself. These gauges can deteriorate over time and become less accurate. If the gauge is showing more or less pressure than the actual pressure inside the boiler your boiler might not be operating efficiently or safely. A professional boiler technician can ensure your boiler gauge is properly calibrated.
  4. Flat Glass Replacement: The gauges on your boiler are very simple analog tools that tell you all the information you need to know about your boiler. As they age they can become weak points in your boiler system as the flat glass over the meters can weaken. If the glass cracks or breaks you could be in for significant boiler downtime.

Overall, it’s important to contact professional Toronto boiler repair services like Novel Care to ensure your boiler is repair by a reputable company with the knowledge and experience to do things correctly. For more information about Toronto boiler repair services contact us at 905-737-5016.

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Winter Means Professional Boiler Maintenance

Boiler Maintenance: Proper Servicing

Just like any other heating appliance or mechanical system, your boiler requires regular service and boiler maintenance to ensure it’s operating efficiently and safely. While there is some maintenance that building managers can carry out, it’s always advisable to have a professional boiler maintenance or HVAC technician take care of annual service needs.

What To Expect During Commercial Boiler Maintenance

Typically, if your boiler maintenance is taken care of by a professional HVAC technician from a reputable company like Novel Care then there should be little to no disruption in your building or facility. A regularly scheduled annual service request should take between 1 and 2 hours and leave your building with a boiler that’s running safely and efficiently.

During servicing a boiler maintenance technician will perform a variety of tests to find out what needs attention and what doesn’t. These tests are different depending on whether your boiler is oil or gas fuelled, and the resulting output will determine the type of maintenance required to keep your boiler working efficiently.

Why Do I Need Boiler Maintenance?

By ensuring you book annual boiler maintenance your effectively extending the lifecycle of your boiler, and ensuring it’s proper functioning until the next boiler maintenance appointment. Each boiler comes with unique specifications that dictate how it should be configured and operating, which is uniquely set by the manufacturer. Adhering to these guidelines helps make sure that your boiler lasts as long as possible, and reduces the risks of accidents, faults, and other expensive repairs.

As time passes the efficiency of any boiler decreases, no matter how often maintenance and repairs are performed. This is a result of soot production from the combustion, which coats the heat exchanger. Decreased performance can also occur as the air/fuel ratio changes over time due to the gradual wearing of different components. Boiler servicing removes the soot from boiler components and adjusts the air/fuel ratio as best as possible to achieve optimal combustion.

Thinking about your boiler like an automobile is an easy way to remember that it needs regular maintenance and attention to maintain efficiency and proper operation.

For more information about boiler maintenance and professional boiler services contact Novel Care today. With over 30 years of experience serving Toronto, York Region, and the rest of the GTA Novel Care has the knowledge and skills you needs to get your boiler up to its optimal levels. Call: (905) 737-5016.

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Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Killer

You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. You could be breathing it right now, being poisoned to death without even knowing it. It’s carbon monoxide (CO), and it’s deadly. It’s known as “the silent killer” because we can’t sense it, and it can kill slowly or in minutes.

The problem is very real. In 2002, over 12,000 calls related to CO in Ontario were received by the Canada Safety Council.* In the winter of 2013, several families in the Toronto area were killed in their sleep by carbon monoxide**. In Canada, 380 deaths were caused by accidental CO poisoning from 2000 – 2009, according to Stats Canada.***

According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 400 Americans are killed every year from carbon monoxide poisoning, which makes it responsible for more poison-related deaths than any other form of poisoning.

Common Sources

Carbon monoxide is naturally produced as a combustion by-product. So anything that consumes fuel will produce carbon monoxide. That’s why leaving a car idling in an enclosed space like a garage is so dangerous.

But many common household items are also potentially lethal sources of CO. Gas or oil powered water heaters and furnaces are common sources of accidental CO poisoning. Kerosene and propane space heaters claim lives every winter as a result of CO poisoning. And fireplaces that don’t draw properly also pose a risk. Any device or appliance that burns fuel and is not ventilated properly represents a potential risk.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning does produce recognizable symptoms, including:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion or irritability

But quite often the symptoms of CO poisoning are mistaken for those of other illnesses, such as the flu. And since CO poisoning can strike quickly, it’s not uncommon for victims to fall asleep perfectly healthy, and never awaken if exposed to carbon monoxide as they sleep.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

You can ensure you stay safe with a simple CO alarm. They’re not expensive – most are less than $50 – and they’re available at most hardware stores. Just make sure you get one that’s certified by the CSA (Canadian Standards Association).

Install one or more alarms near the furnace and living/sleeping areas. Test the alarm regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you hear the alarm sound, leave your home immediately. Dial 911, and do not go back inside your home until the problem has been professionally fixed.

Also, it’s important to make sure your furnace and any other fuel-burning appliances are installed correctly and serviced regularly by a professional.

CO Detectors are Now Mandatory By Law

As of October 15, 2014, homeowners in Ontario must install a carbon monoxide detector or face a fine. Just like the laws for smoke detectors and seat belts in cars, the law will no doubt save many lives. You can learn more about the law here.

Everyone is at Risk

Who’s at risk of becoming a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning? Everyone. But certain groups are more susceptible to the dangers of carbon monoxide, such as the very young and the elderly. People with underlying health concerns such as respiratory illnesses and heart disease are also more likely to succumb to CO poisoning.

But everyone is a potential victim. That’s because the effects of carbon monoxide are cumulative. When you breathe CO, it accumulates in your blood. As blood levels of CO increase, your body’s ability to distribute oxygen throughout the body degrades. If CO poisoning is allowed to progress unchecked, brain damage and death can eventually result from a lack of oxygen at the cellular level. In essence, your body suffocates to death.

Avoid Becoming a Statistic

The insidious nature of carbon monoxide poisoning makes it seem somewhat of an innocuous threat. As the old saying warns, a threat that’s out of sight also tends to be out of mind.

But the tragic annual death toll racked up by carbon monoxide poisoning each year disproves another old saying: “What you can’t see won’t hurt you.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning kills many poor souls every year that neither see nor smell the danger. They just slip away without ever knowing they were in danger. That’s why it’s so important to stay very alert to the potential perils of carbon monoxide poisoning, and to protect yourself with an alarm.

If you’re unsure about anything to do with carbon monoxide in your home contact Novel Care today: 905-737-5016

References and Additional Reading

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