Steps to Take Before the Furnace Repair Technician Arrives
Furnace Not Heating? Steps to Take Before the Furnace Repair Technician Arrives
Waking up or coming home to a cold house, even though the furnace is running, can be quite a shock. Should this happen to you, the first thing to do is to call your furnace repair technician. While you are waiting for the furnace repair technician, here are some furnace repair steps to take to possibly alleviate the problem.
Check the Thermostat
You will find the thermostat attached to an inside wall, away from direct sunlight. It is the switch that calls for a heating (or cooling) cycle whenever the indoor temperature differs from the thermostat setting.
• The batteries. The thermostat runs on simple batteries. If the thermostat screen is blank or gives a low battery indication, change the batteries and see if heat is restored.
• Check the settings. Make sure that the thermostat is turned to HEAT. If you have a heat pump and the outside temperature has dropped below 350, turn the setting to Emg Heat or Aux Heat, to use the furnace setting instead of the heat pump setting. If the Fan setting is set to ON, it will continue to run whether the furnace is producing heat or not. This should not affect the setting, but you may feel cool air circulating between heating cycles.
Change the Air Filter
Air filters should be changed at least every three months, but it is easy to forget to make the change without calendar prompts. The air filter plays an important role in collecting airborne particles with each heating and cooling cycle. Whenever the air filter collects enough particles to coat the surface, it clogs and restricts airflow through the system. Without airflow, the furnace will produce heat and trip a safety sensor, shutting down the furnace to prevent overheating.
Find the air filter near the base of the furnace. Examine it to see its condition and change it as needed. A new air filter may restore the furnace to normal function.
Check the Pilot Light or Ignition System
Pilot lights were phased out in the early 1980s, but if your furnace still has a pilot light, check to see whether it is lit or not. Without a pilot light, the burner of your furnace will not ignite. Follow the instructions on your furnace for lighting the pilot.
Chances are that your natural gas furnace will have an electric ignition system. When the thermostat calls for heat, the ignitor creates an electric spark that ignites the gas from the burner. Electric ignition systems are extremely sensitive to touch and to the presence of soot or other particles that might coat them. If your electric ignition is covered in soot, use canned air to blow away the carbon powder.
Frequent flame and the presence of rust may damage the burner assembly. If you see excessive rust or a crack in the metal of the burner, it should prevent the burner from igniting. If your burner is covered in rust, bring it to the attention of the technician—don’t try to “fix it” yourself.
Stay warm. Dress in layers and bundle up as needed. If the home threatens to fall below 320, open each faucet to let water drip. Moving water must drop well below 320 to freeze. (Not a guarantee, but a good practice.)
Another good practice is to schedule annual maintenance on your HVAC system. The furnace repair technician will clean and check the various components of the system. The goal is to find small problems that make the system less efficient and susceptible to failures. Preventative maintenance can help avoid inconvenient shutdowns during the coldest days of the year.
Contact the Furnace Repair Experts at Doctor Cool
As an award-winning, BBB-accredited Kemah furnace repair and HVAC installation contractor serving the League City and surrounding area, we pride ourselves in providing exceptional service to our customers. Call Doctor Cool & Professor Heat today at 281-338-8751 or email Doctor Cool.
If your furnace isn’t heating, first check the thermostat to ensure it’s set correctly, and replace the batteries if needed. Next, inspect and replace the air filter to restore airflow, and check the pilot light or ignition system to ensure proper operation. While waiting for the Doctor Cool furnace repair technician, dress warmly, drip faucets to prevent frozen pipes during the extreme cold, and schedule annual maintenance to avoid future issues.
