OK, lot's of folks have furnaces but many also have hot water heating systems using boilers. And boilers are a very different animal. Although they provide some of the most comfortable heat using "radiant heat" they have several uncommon parts like a tridicator (see photo), an expansion tank, an aquastat and the list goes on. Actually, a water filled expansion tank is a pretty common problem I tell you how to fix in the tutorial How to Re-charge a Hot Water Boiler Expansion Tank.

Although some boilers use ignition systems similar to a forced air gas furnace, boiler systems are more complex and have their own issues, like noisy pipes, inconsistent heat, leaks and other fun stuff to deal with in the winter.

But I've got it all explained for you in the tutorial Troubleshooting a Hot Water Boiler complete with diagrams, and troubleshooting tips.

I've had some requests for help from readers with furnace ignition problems but they did not have a standing pilot in their furnace as I describe in How to Light a Gas Furnace Pilot. If you have a modern furnace, you'll be dealing with an electronic ignition system having either an intermittent pilot or hot surface ignition.

Modern electronic ignition systems are more reliable than the standing pilot systems of old, but just as your new car has an electronic brain, so do some of these furnaces. And that means you're somewhat limited as to what can be done "under the hood" when they don't work

But take a read of the tutorial Overview and Repair of the Electronic Ignition Furnace and you'll learn how they work, and what you can do when they don't.

It's bone-chilling cold out there this winter!

Frozen pipes are a problem you never want to deal with but are all too common during extended cold snaps in winter like the one we are having.

I want you protected, so do me a favor and as soon as you are done reading this blog post, remove any hoses you have attached to your outdoor faucets and then go in the house and turn off the water to the outside faucet (also called a hose bibb or sill cock).

It is critical to remove any hoses attached to the outside faucet! An attached garden hose is sure recipe for frozen pipe damage this winter. Use a hair dryer if necessary to thaw out a frozen hose connection to the sill cock in order to remove the hose.

The sill cock only turns water on and off outside, there is (or is supposed to be) a water shut off valve inside the house for the outside faucet. You may have to do some investigating in your home following water supply lines to try and find the shut off valve. They are usually located near the outside faucet.

By removing any hoses and turning off the water supply to the sill cock you have averted major risk of water damage done by a burst frozen pipe.

Frozen water exerts thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch on a pipe and can burst it, causing flooding and major damage to your home. But there are right ways and wrong ways to thaw out a frozen pipe, and knowing how to perform this critical repair and prevent it from from occurring can save your home.

So read Thawing a Frozen Water Pipe and just chill out, don't freeze up! (Ouch!)

Is your chimney safe for Christmas this year? How about your furnace? Is it working properly and maintained? Heating systems need maintenance or else you're stuck!

Whether it's seasonal furnace maintenance or making sure your fireplace chimney is safe for a visiting Santa this Christmas, you'll find the information you need right here to keep your home's heating systems working properly. So check out these tutorials and don't get stuck this winter season!