Is there anything worse than waking up to a cold house in the middle of the night? Knowing it will be like that for the next few days until you can figure out what’s wrong with your furnace. However, there are steps you can take before the professionals get to your home. And that’s to troubleshoot what happened and pass it on to the repairmen when they finally arrive. Though you’re not even close to a professional, you can check the hallmark signs of some causes as to the malfunction of your furnace.
1. Your Thermostat Is Off
It might sound silly and a mistake nobody is capable of making, but it’s actually the opposite. A lot of customers with furnace problems just can’t figure out what happened, and that’s because they assume the basics—the furnace is plugged or turned on, the thermostat is set to “heat”—couldn’t be the root of the problem. It might be an arrogant assumption, but it won’t hurt to double-check everything and save you time and money by hiring a company just to flick your thermostat on.
To check, you can start by taking a look at the batteries. It’s a battery problem most of the time. If your thermostat is batter-based, it’s better to change it annually or bi-annually if you’re able to remember.
However, if it’s connected to the electricity and your other appliances are working fine, the problem may lie in the device instead of the power source.
Thus, you’ll need to open the thermostat and check for dust or debris. If there is a live wire present, it’s wise to wait for the professional to arrive and ask for advice on an additional worker, preferably an electrician.
2. Your Furnace Doesn’t Get Hot
What kind of furnace does not get hot when it is the only thing it is made for? A broken one, definitely that is one. You can confirm that your device is still working but not producing any heat by turning the dial-up and down after a period. Observe if you are experiencing a significant temperature change.
You can always reset the breaker or check for any tripped wires. However, unless you are properly licensed, you might prefer to avoid going against house codes and other protocols. If it is minor, such as changing switches, lights, or appliances, it is allowed. However, changing electrical lines of touching circuit breakers might need professional hands.
3. It is Heating Up—Just Not Enough
It might sound like the previously mentioned item, but a furnace that does not work and one that is not working to its peak are two very different things. For one, the former has a different cause, while the latter might be from a clogged filter.
The air filters ensure that power goes through, and all the heat needed to pass through does just that. If there’s somehow fist, debris, or other obstructions, it might also lessen the heat that the furnace can produce. Luckily to many homeowners, this is the most easily maintained problem that always does not need a professional to do.
The filter can be detected as a grate. Sometimes, you can find them inside of the installment itself.
Afterward, you can figure out for yourself If the number of debris is really the cause of your heater’s poor performance. Usually, if you hold the grate against the light, the light cannot pass through.
If the filter is broken, a replacement is needed and should be installed properly by a professional. However, if it only needs a little bit of cleaning, it is the responsibility of the homeowners to do so every so often.
For some models, the safety switch can be a cause that the installment has stopped working suddenly. A safety switch can turn off the entire device when the doors of the furnace are not closed properly or if the panels are opened. The most problematic case is when this feature malfunctions and causes your installment to never turn on despite closing the doors.
You can check this feature by checking the doors and panels and trying to turn them on normally. If all other features seem to be turning on, and if there are no problems with the source of power, filter, and thermostat, it might be the safety switch. Truthfully, furnace problems can be easily remedied, especially if you have connections to a trustworthy professional like https://www.ssmechanical.co/furnace-repair-new-lenox-il/ who knows their way around a furnace. You do not need to spend a few more days cold with a broken heater.
This case should require an immediate replacement. That means it also needs a professional to properly replace and reinstall the safety switch.
5. Are Your Burner Flames Blue?
That should be the main question you should ask yourself while observing them. Blue means your furnace and its area is clean from dust, debris, and other contaminants. However, if it turns yellow, the opposite should be assumed. Still, it is not a big deal that will warrant the presence of a repairman.
You can easily clean your burner with a vacuum cleaner, but make sure you turn off the furnace and gas. During the summer, there is a big possibility contaminant has settled into the burners, such as soot and dust. It is important to check and clean them right before the colder season rolls around.
6. There’s A Problem with A Limit Switch
Compared to the aforementioned item, this problem will most probably warrant an expert. A limit switch is, as its name suggests, a checker and limiter of your blower. If it is broken, your blower will end up being overused and malfunctioning during the middle of use. Do not worry about missing this type of problem, however.
When the limit switch trips, there is a big possibility that the blower will continuously run, and thus, the furnace will not even turn on. Check all the other aforementioned items and if none of them checks out, call an expert to check on your limit switch.
