If you have a ducted heater or ducted gas heating system in your Canberra home, you should be familiar with some of the problems that may arise during usage.

A ducted heater is an excellent addition to your home because it lets you breeze through the cold spells. This appliance dispenses heat through its heating ducts to keep your entire home warm and hospitable.

Being aware of these technicalities enables you to take the necessary steps to dodge them. Here are the top ten most rampant issues you will likely encounter, as well as remedies for fixing common ducted heating problems.

How Ducted Heating Systems Work

Ducted heating systems work by using a central unit to generate warm air, which is then circulated throughout the home using insulated ducts. The system is controlled by a thermostat, which regulates the temperature to ensure the desired level of warmth is maintained. The warm air is distributed through grilles and vents, allowing for precise temperature regulation. This process ensures that every room in your home receives consistent heating, providing a comfortable living environment. By setting the thermostat to your preferred temperature, you can enjoy a cozy home without the need for multiple heating units.

Whether you have a small apartment or a large house, these systems can be tailored to meet your specific heating needs, making them a versatile option for many homeowners.

Important Parts of a Ducted Heating System

A ducted heating system consists of several key components, each playing a crucial role in ensuring efficient operation:

Central Unit: This is the heart of the system, responsible for generating warm air. It can be powered by gas or electricity, depending on the type of system you have.
Insulated Ducts: These ducts distribute the warm air throughout the home, ensuring even temperature distribution. Proper insulation is essential to prevent heat loss and maintain energy efficiency.
Grilles and Vents: These control the flow of warm air, allowing for precise temperature regulation in different areas of your home. They can be adjusted to direct airflow where it’s needed most.
Thermostat: This device regulates the temperature, ensuring the system maintains the desired temperature. Modern thermostats can be programmable, allowing you to set different temperatures for different times of the day.

10 Most Common Ducted Heating Problems & How to Fix Them

1. Inadequate maintenance.

The key to having a smooth-operating ducted heater and ducted gas heating systems is regularly scheduling a repair program to spot potential complications that may curtail efficiency and productivity. Call Canberra Plumbing & Drains personnel for an inspection when the machine seems to be not functioning seamlessly.

2. Unclean filters

Clogging tends to reduce air circulation and flow in the systems. Making it difficult for the appliance to function efficiently. As a result, more energy is needed to run the fan and working components.

3. Wear and tear

Wear and tear can significantly reduce the useful life of your heating system. This issue is likely to compound air circulation problems and heat control hitches.

4. Ignition and pilot control issues

Some heating problems stem from a faulty pilot or ignition. Faults in the ignition arise mainly from clogging or draughts in the system.

5. Thermostat malfunctions

Always check if the batteries in your thermostat have been replaced.

6. Total performance failure

A total drop-off in ducted-heater performance could be due to issues with the thermostat, gas, or pilot units.

7. Partial or inadequate heat from your appliance

Apart from the standard heater complications, selecting the right equipment for your home/apartment or unit is essential. A small ducted heater will be insufficient for spacious properties.

8. Cycling complications

Tampering with the on and off modular may lead to irregular readings and misleading thermostat settings.

9. When the blower doesn’t stop running

If your fan runs continuously, the most likely suspect is the over-temp switch. It would be best if you brought in a professional from Canberra Plumbing & Drains to remedy the situation.

10. A noisy ducted-heater

Rumbling and squeaking noises are signs that something is amiss. This condition signals the presence of mechanical, burner, or airflow problems.

Ducted Heating Not Turning On Troubleshooting Guide

Check the thermostat settings to ensure they are set to “heat” mode and that the desired temperature is higher than the current room temperature.
Inspect the power supply and ensure the unit is properly plugged in. Check for any tripped circuit breakers or blown fuses.
Examine the air filters for clogging and clean or replace them if necessary. A dirty or blocked air filter can lead to problems such as unusual noises, ineffective heating, or even a burning smell.
Check the pilot light to see if it is lit. If not, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to relight it safely.
Look for any visible damage or wear and tear on the system’s components, such as the heat exchanger or blower motor.
If the heating system is blowing cold air, check the system’s settings and troubleshoot potential thermostat problems to resolve the issue.
If the issue persists, consult the manufacturer’s manual for specific troubleshooting steps or error codes.
Call our gas service specialists in Canberra to help you fix the problem correctly.

Signs It’s Time to Call a Professional for Your Ducted Heating Repairs

While some basic troubleshooting can be done safely by homeowners, certain issues require the expertise of a professional HVAC technician. For instance, a ducted gas heating system requires regular servicing to ensure safe and efficient operation. HVAC technicians are skilled in handling both heating and air conditioning systems, ensuring comprehensive maintenance and repair services.

Call for repairs if you encounter:

Gas leaks or strange odours
Electrical problems or sparking
Significant water leaks or damage
Major component failures (e.g., blower motor, heat exchanger)
Persistent issues after attempting DIY troubleshooting.

Why Regular Maintenance is Key to Avoiding Ducted Heating Problems

Regular maintenance with a qualified HVAC technician from Canberra Plumbing & Drains is a must for preventing breakdowns and ensuring your ducted gas heating systems operate safely and efficiently.

During a maintenance visit, our technicians will:

Clean and inspect all components
Lubricate moving parts
Test the thermostat and controls
Check for gas leaks and carbon monoxide
Identify and address any potential issues before they lead to costly repairs.

Safety Precautions and Emergency Procedures

Ducted heating systems can be safe and efficient, but to ensure safe operation, safety precautions and emergency procedures must be taken.

Safety Precautions

Professional Installation and Maintenance: Ensure a qualified technician installs and maintains the system. Regular professional check-ups can prevent potential hazards and ensure optimal performance.
Keep the System Clean: Regularly clean and keep the system free from debris. Dust and dirt can accumulate and affect the system’s efficiency.
Air Filters: Ensure the air filters are clean and replaced regularly. Clean air filters improve airflow and system efficiency.
Thermostat Settings: Set the thermostat to a reasonable temperature to avoid overheating. Overheating can strain the system and increase energy consumption.
Turn Off When Not in Use: Ensure the system is turned off when not in use. This can prevent unnecessary wear and tear and save energy.

Ducted Heating Repair and Replacement Costs: What to Expect

The cost of repairing or replacing your ducted heating system will depend on factors such as:

The age and model of your system
The extent of the damage or issue
The cost of replacement parts
Labor costs in your area

On average, minor repairs such as replacing a thermostat or ignitor can cost between $100 and $400, while major repairs like replacing a heat exchanger can range from $1,000 to $2,500.

If your system is more than 15-20 years old, it may be more cost-effective to replace it entirely, which can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the size of your home and the new system’s efficiency.

We will give you a tailored quote upon your first consultation with us.

When to Call Canberra Plumbing & Drains

Due to their delicate nature, ignition and mechanical issues are best left to professionals. Experts in this field have extensive knowledge and training in dealing with HVAC gadgets. Unresolved problems pose both safety and health risks to inhabitants, hence the need to consult a specialist.

Canberra Plumbing & Drains prides itself on providing all clients the most efficient and professional service. We will make sure that we repair your ducted gas heating, and if it’s beyond repair or unsafe to use, we will give you a competitive rate to replace it!

Google Rating

4.6

Canberra Plumbing and Drains

Dallas Burkevics

00:19 22 Aug 18

These guys are fantastic! I managed to book in super quickly for an emergency issue. The booking window was only 2hrs and they called half an hour before so it was super easy for someone working full time. Jake was friendly and fixed the issue really quickly. He tidied up and left it all cleaner than it was before they came. Pricing was super reasonable as well considering the quality work :) Huge thanks to the team!

judy moore

01:53 29 Nov 18

Very prompt, polite and skilled tradesmen. Gave good advice and service.

Kevin Jardine

01:28 05 Dec 18

brodie and rowen are a great team for plumbing problems. they are efficient and good humoured and I will use them whenever necessary.

Chris Penning

23:53 27 Aug 18

Great service. Turned up on time. Technicians friendly and informative. Mobile eftpos and online receipting makes the whole process seamless.

P Deakin

21:27 01 Nov 18

Would recommend these guys for all plumbing work - Brodie was great

JC S

07:01 12 Feb 19

From the initial call answering to the appointment booking and plumber's visit, everything was done with utmost professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction. My first time using this service and will continue to use and recommend Canberra Plumbing and Drain to others. Thank you Jerrard for your prompt, reliable, and friendly service, we really appreciate it!

Katrina Skeen

04:56 20 Jan 19

Overall a very pleasant experience dealing with the Company. Experienced trades was quickly able to establish the fault in our evaporative cooling. Further they provided a compedative quote for a replacement unit and were able to give us an installation date quite soon given it was the busiest period for their business (peak summers). We are now awaiting the installation which was booked in by their friendly receptionist.

Bling Lord

05:42 09 Jan 19

Canberra Plumbing & Drains have been helpful and courteous in our dealings with them. They have great advice and friendly service and go above and beyond. The only plumbers you should speak to in the ACT.

Louise Yaxley

00:18 17 Jan 19

Excellent service including going out of their way to help when our aircon broke down in a heatwave. As promised they are prompt and thorough. Highly recommended.

Monica Arnold

21:20 22 May 19

This company was excellent to deal with. They booked us very quickly to fix our heater despite the high demand for servicing at the time. The staff that came out were excellent and spent the time talking through things especially when then unexpected carbon monoxide leak was detected. Great service

Julie Lenarduzzi

11:41 25 Jun 19

Brodie was super helpful as was his offsider on the day. Did a cheeky drain unblock on his way out. 😁. Thanks so much guys. Julie.

Matthew Heath

00:43 24 Jul 19

The guys at Canberra Plumbing & Drains are first rate. Prompt service, quick diagnosis and assessment. We had our issue assessed quickly and rectified within a day. Thanks again to the guys.

Pascala

05:10 06 Aug 19

Fabulous service and very prompt and accurate with their appraisal. I will be calling them again when I need help. Thank you!

Michael Delauney

10:01 11 Aug 19

Good communication with staff and was able to come round and look at my hot water unit on a sunday the same afternoon I called. Would recommend in the future.

Jan Properjohn

22:32 26 Aug 19

The staff was very polite and helpful. i appreciate their concern during a disruptive time.

Steve Gavin

11:15 04 Oct 19

Josh arrived on time, quickly diagnosed the problem (an air lock in the water inlet to the dishwasher), and fixed it. He was friendly and polite, and very helpful. This has been our experience with all Canberra Plumbing and Drains staff for a variety of problems over many years. We would highly recommend them.

Len Coughlin

03:10 12 Oct 19

Called Canberra Plumbing and Drains about a water leak that sounded like it was coming from inside the laundry wall. Jayde explained in detail what it would cost and what the process was to locate and find the leak. There was a separate charge for the initial call out and then a quote to fix the leak and repair the concrete slab. Jayde explained in detail what was included and what was not included. Brodie D. attended the same day and examined the wall and searched for the leak. He couldn't find the exact spot because it appeared the leak was coming from under the foundation of the wall. Brodie D. and Michael attended the following afternoon to continue the job. After Brodie D. briefed Michael he left and Michael went to work. He had to dig through the tile floor and concrete slab as well as remove a small section of the wall. He finally located the leak that was under the floor level between the outside brick wall and the interior wall frame. It was now Michael's normal quitting time. Josh arrived to take over, but Michael decided to stay as well because he wanted to make sure the leak was fixed so we would have water. Michael and Josh fixed the leak and then discovered another leak. Instead of stopping (as it was already getting late on Friday night and they both had plans) they continued with the job until the leaks were fixed and they were sure they were no more. Then they cleaned up the laundry and took the floor rubble away with them. My wife and I appreciate the amount of work they did and the efforts Michael and Josh put in to fix the leaks so we had running water for the weekend. I want to commend Jayde, Brodie D., Michael and Josh for their outstanding workmanship, professionalism, care and high level of knowledge relating to home construction and plumbing they demonstrated while finding and fixing the water leaks in my home. Canberra Plumbing and Drains are not the cheapest but I believe they are one of the best. I recommend them for any plumbing, drainage or gasfitting work required.

D_Liz 1

04:50 28 Dec 19

First rate service. Business run with high order air traffic control skills! Would recommend and use again. Thanks to Theo for getting hot water back on over Xmas.

Mojmir Hlincik

07:30 07 Jan 20

No complaints. Staff on the phone were great, then Josh rocked up quickly, explained everything, and did a very good, thorough job. I wouldn't hesitate to go with these guys again.

Eileen Dallwitz

06:32 04 Feb 20

My evaporative cooler broke down on a 42-degree Saturday. I phoned 11 companies, leaving messages where possible. Only two companies answered their phones at all, and only Canberra Plumbing & Drains could come out on the day to help me. Jade, you are an absolute legend to squeeze in an appointment for me, and thank you for being so calm when I was at my wits' end. I don't know if it is an employment requirement at Canberra Plumbing & Drains that you must be awesome and a hard act to follow, but Jade certainly is and so is Josh T, the technician who came out to look at the cooler. Not only did he get on my roof in the stifling heat, but he fixed the problem promptly and he explained what had happened and what the outlook was for the cooler. He is just a lovely man -- genuine, efficient, and professional. I highly recommend Canberra Plumbing & Drains (and Woden Valley Plumbing & Gasfitting).

Ivy Barber

02:30 03 Mar 20

I called Canberra Plumbing & Drains when my 25 year old hot water system completely gave up on me, from my first phone call I was completely put at ease with the process. They showed up when they said they would (on the same day) and most importantly I didn't have to worry about a thing as they took care of everything from start to finish until I had hot water again. I called a number of companies who quoted me an oddly cheap installation but there were "add-ons" so I was left unsure of how much it was actually going to cost, Canberra Plumbing gave me a fixed price for everything including the valves too which added to the ease of a stressful situation! Thanks to all involved!

Zulaikha Noor

04:43 10 May 20

Jayson was the plumber who attended our call. He arrived at the expected time, did the job well and even game me tips on how I can prevent my sink from clogging up again in the future. Amazing service :)

Graham Lindsay

05:05 19 May 20

As other reviewers may have said, you don't get a cheap job, you get a professional job with prompt service, transparency in what it may cost and why, and they clean up after themselves. These young men must wear out a lot of socks! They take their boots off at the door. They pay attention to detail. They were personable, well presented, and respectful in their conversations and explanations. I believe we got great value and advice for the money we spent including the outcomes we had expected. Thanks to Emma in the office and to the guys on the job.

20:51 26 Jun 20

Clarke Jones

06:59 04 Jul 20

Excellent service! We're thrilled with our 6-star Braemar central gas heater. Woden Valley Plumbing & Gasfitting was efficient, prompt and super-friendly.

Kate Davey

02:19 07 Jul 20

Brodie was very responsive and came out to replace a burst pipe at my place very quickly! He completed the job really quickly and I was able to get my water back on in the same day. Would recommend this plumbing team!

Tamara Brown

03:15 05 Aug 20

Attended and fixed an issue promptly and within the quotes rate. Staff are very friendly, getting them back again!

Jack Mills

01:02 23 Oct 20

I had water dripping from the ceiling in my kitchen, bathroom and laundry, I frantically started calling plumbers, I found Canberra Plumbing and Drains on my 3rd attempt at getting hold of someone, they were straight onto it and were out within 3 hours ! It was an extremely respectful, professional and well executed service from the young man, couldn’t recommend Canberra Plumbing more, will definitely be using their services again !!

Stephanie Lopez

00:32 25 Oct 20

highly recommend to Canberra Plumbing and drains team....fantastic service.....

Brian F. Byrne

20:17 03 Nov 21

A big thanks to Canberra Plumbing and Drains' Nick and Brodie. I know nothing about this sort of stuff so put my plumbing problems and trust in these guys. I was not disappointed. I would thoroughly recommend Canberra Plumbing and Drains for prompt, professional, friendly service every time.

Amalia Stavreas

02:00 06 Jul 22

Would give more stars if I could. The good experience started with Jill in the office. Professional and just wonderful in general, and continued with Nick, who came out at short notice and didn't leave until the job that a previous plumber missed (twice) was fixed. Jill also called me afterwards to check in and make sure I was happy. I am genuinely recommending them! To everyone. Price was fair, quality and service unmatched. Avoid a headache and just book with them to begin with. Well done team, should be super proud of yourselves!

Sanjeevan Aravindan

10:50 23 Jul 22

Terrific service! Provided assistance over the phone to temporarily address urgent plumbing issue while I was in isolation. Then came out the following week to resolve the issue permanently! Would highly recommend!

Mark & Alison

00:52 27 Jul 22

Can I give 6 Stars!!! Exceptional service. Nick was so polite, helpful and professional. I work in property and I can honestly say that Woden Valley Plumbing and Gasfitting is the best and highly recommend. You won’t be disappointed.

Erin Lloyd

22:33 29 Sep 22

Al was fantastic! Excellent customer service, super professional, great attention to detail and resolved our problems in a timely manner. Would use this company again without hesitation.

Christie Spencer

06:01 03 Apr 23

Excellent service from start to finish. Nick was helpful and efficient, and had our hot water issue sorted in no time. Would definitely use again, and highly recommend.

Jase

21:02 11 Apr 23

I had a leaking shower head, because the rubber seals had been very badly worn out and damaged, over the years. Luckily, the plumber, Nick, that came over, got the job done within half an hour. Highly recommended and thank you very much for yesterday. It's sincerely appreciate.

Vik

02:11 18 Oct 23

I recently received a callback regarding a quote I had requested, and I had the pleasure of speaking with Andrew. During our conversation, Andrew exhibited a high level of professionalism and honesty. Given the intricate nature of my problem, he took the time to thoroughly explain the available options and associated costs while also offering assistance with any additional questions I might have had.

Sarah McIntosh

05:01 14 Dec 23

Our gas ducted heating wouldn't turn off, and whilst there were no available appointments the same day, the representative (sorry that I can't remember your name!) was patient, super friendly and guided me through the process of isolating the switch, turning it off and reassuring me that the unit was okay. The technician came out the next business day, resolved the problem quickly, educated and discussed a plan of the next steps to take before next winter. We will definitely be using their services in the future and highly recommend! :)

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Tips on How to Repair Common Ducted-Heating Problems