If you have a gas furnace heating system in your home, it is a good idea to know why it’s so important to maintain it, how to identify problems and when to call a professional for an inspection. A technician at American Weathermakers can help you with any services or repairs your HVAC system may need.
There are many reasons why your gas furnace could be malfunctioning or causing strange noises or odors – get these issues looked at right away. When handling your unit, always follow the instructions and guidelines in your owner’s manual. Below are two common problems with possible causes and solutions. Furnace-Repair
Problem: Furnace won’t start
Possible causes & solutions:
- There’s no power going into the unit. Check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker at the main entrance panel, at a separate entrance panel or on the furnace, flip the switch to try to restore power.
- If the motor is overloaded, wait a half hour, the press reset – repeat if necessary but after a couple of times, don’t keep trying and call us.
- Check the pilot light, it may be out – if so, turn off the gas source to the unit for several minutes, then relight the pilot light.
- If it won’t light, clean the pilot light opening. If it still won’t light, your thermocouple maybe broken or loose – which you’ll need to tighten or replace. Note that some gas furnaces run with an electric system that ignites the pilot light – if this is malfunctioning, call a professional to fix it.
- Check to see if there is an inflow of gas – if not, make sure the gas valve to the furnace is completely open.
Problem: Not enough heat is coming out of the furnace
Possible causes & solutions:
- Make sure your registers and air ducts aren’t blocked, which can give the impression that your furnace isn’t working well; if it’s the air ducts that are the problem, you may need an air duct cleaning, which we can do for you.
- Your thermostat is not set right – try raising it and seeing if there’s a difference. The problem might be a connection between your thermostat and furnace, not the furnace its self.
- Dirty filters or a clogged blower can prevent heat from circulating – get them checked out, they may need to be cleaned or replaced.
- The blower belt may be loose or broken, if so, you’ll need to adjust or replace the belt.
- Your burner may be dirty and needs to be cleaned – call us for this.
Call us at (847) 503-9497 if you’re having any issues with your furnace – attempting to fix it yourself could be dangerous and make the problem many times more expensive.