Having a working furnace is essential during the cold winter months. For that reason, it’s important for you to know some furnace troubleshooting and repair tips to use if something goes wrong. Here are some common furnace problems and the steps you can take to fix them.
Gas Leaks
If you can smell natural gas near your furnace or inside your house, your furnace may be leaking gas.
- Evacuate your home immediately and shut off the outside supply valve by rotating it one-quarter turn using an adjustable wrench.
- Next, move to a remote location and contact your utility company.
Furnace Generating Insufficient Heat
If the heat that your furnace provides isn’t enough to warm your home, there could be something blocking airflow.
- Check your air filter. If it’s dirty, replace it.
- Make sure the room registers are open and not obstructed.
- Check the thermostat and ensure it’s set correctly. Then raise the temperature five degrees and wait for a couple of minutes.
Furnace Not Heating
If your furnace isn’t heating your home at all, a thermostat malfunction, tripped circuit breaker, blown fuse or extinguished pilot light may be to blame.
- Check that your thermostat is set to heating mode.
- Check if your furnace’s circuit has tripped or blown. Reset it by flipping it off and on again, or change the fuse.
- Check the pilot light, if your heating system has one. If it has gone out, refer to your manual to relight it.
Blower Runs Constantly
Does your furnace blower keep running? The two possible causes are your room thermostat or the limit switch on your furnace.
- Check your thermostat’s fan switch. If it’s on, set it to Auto or Off.
- To reset the limit switch, you’ll need to follow the instructions detailed in your manual or call an HVAC specialist for help.
By troubleshooting and doing these minor repairs on your own, you’ll save money and avoid the inconvenience of having to wait for a technician. For more furnace troubleshooting tips, please contact us at Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We proudly serve the Greater Cleveland area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues. For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or give us a call at 440-345-8795.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Maksim Kabakou/Shutterstock”
