A good investment to have in your home is a gas furnace. This is true especially in the colder winter months. It gives off the necessary heat you require during these really cold times to keep you warm and alive. If you already own a gas furnace, it is important to keep it maintained and cared for so that you do not have it break on you at just the wrong time. Although major furnace repair is not recommended to do by yourself, there are some more basic, safe things you can do while you are waiting for the technician to arrive.
Troubleshoot Tip # 1 – Furnace Turning On & Off
If your furnace seems to turn on and off frequently by itself, there is no need for alarm. This could be a simple mishap with the heating anticipator in it. The first thing you need to do to troubleshoot this is to locate your thermostat and open it. Once you open it, you will notice in the middle, a small disk. Inside the calibration notches, you will need to turn it to the option that says “longer”. Repeat this process with the small handle that you will find there as well. A dirty filter or clogged blower can also be the cause of this particular problem too.
Troubleshoot Tip # 2 – No Heat
During the cold months, you might find that when you turn your gas furnace on, no heat seems to be coming out. This is another common issue that may happen. There are various reasons for this which range from a simple thermostat issue not calling for heat because it’s set too low to a more complex and challenging problem that will require a licensed contractor to come fix such as an intermittent pilot ignition issue or hot surface ignition issue. A dirty air filter or misaligned or dirty gas burners can be the reason for this. When it is due to a dirty air filter, this can be remedied by the homeowner, however, if it is a more complex issue and the burners need to be cleaned and adjusted, definitely call in a furnace service technician.
Troubleshoot Tip # 3 – Tripped Circuit Breakers or a Blown Fuse
If you need to call in a service professional to take a look at your furnace, they might tell you that it is simply a tripped circuit breaker issue or blown fuses which caused the furnace to not run. The professional can easily check the circuit breakers and reset them or you can also do this yourself the next time this happens so you do not waste your money on professional services.
Troubleshoot Tip # 4 – Faulty Wiring
The unit might be burned from the inside out because of faulty wiring. Many furnaces have transistors and resistors on their boards and these can be checked as well to check for burning or charring. If the unit has major electrical problems, you should not attempt to fix it yourself and should have it looked at by a professional.
Troubleshoot Tip # 5 – Thermostat Not Working Properly
In many cases a simple change of the thermostat settings is all you need. There are many options on the modern thermostat models like speeds, comfort settings and time schedules and it is not a surprise that many people end up pressing a wrong button every once and awhile. Be sure to check your thermostat settings to see if the fan is functioning properly. After that you should check to see if the setting is on a time schedule to deactivate. This is many cases only takes a few pushes of a button to fix.
