When the weather is chilly in Louisville, KY, it can be stressful to discover that your heating system won’t turn on to warm your home. While your first instinct may be to run to the thermostat to start troubleshooting settings, many furnace troubles stem from deeper problems within your HVAC system, and you could have problems with your blower, heat exchanger, heat pump, electrical circuits, or other delicate systems.
Fortunately, by knowing how to search out problems, you can save yourself time and energy—and know when to call in the help of a professional HVAC technician. Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is committed to empowering homeowners with the knowledge they need to keep their heating and air conditioning system in top condition. Use this guide to learn what to do when your furnace won’t turn on, and remember, you can always place a service call with their team of HVAC technicians.
Your thermostat is an electronic appliance that requires power. The system uses electrical signals to relay information from the temperature sensors to your furnace, indicating when to turn on and shut down. While many thermostats are hard-wired and receive power through your home’s circuit breaker and city electrical grid, others relyhard-wired on batteries. If your furnace isn’t turning on, check your thermostat to make sure it seems to be receiving power.
If your furnace isn’t responding, it could be a problem as simple as the settings on your thermostat being incorrect. Since your thermostat is responsible for sensing the ambient temperature of a room, a system that isn’t set up properly could trigger your furnace to switch on or turn off when you aren’t expecting it. Check these two important settings when you inspect your thermostat.
Like any other appliance in your home, your furnace needs a power source to function properly. Gas furnaces rely on both an electrical connection and a gas source, or your system will not turn on. If your heater isn’t receiving power, it may not turn on, warm your home, or exhibit any “signs of life.” Here are a few things to check if it seems like your furnace is not receiving power.
4. Gas Line: Natural gas furnaces rely on a constant flow of fuel to continue to run. If you have this kind of furnace, check to see if the gas valves are open. Open valves should run parallel to the gas pipe, and closed valves will sit perpendicular to the line. Open the valve if it is closed.
If the valve is open, but you don’t think your system is receiving fuel, contact your utility provider to see if there are utility disruptions close to your home. If there are no disruptions and the valve is open, there may be issues with your furnace that are prompting your system to stay turned off. For instance, draft inducer motor, pressure switches, and circuit board problems could prompt your system to stay off, even when everything else is working properly.
Furnaces are designed with many fail-safes to protect homeowners. One such safety feature turns off the furnace if any access panels are out of place. If your furnace isn’t powering on, check the exterior cabinet carefully to see if you can spot panels that are out of place, missing screws, or that appear damaged in any way. Push panels back in place, and replace any missing screws to see if that triggers your furnace to run properly.
If your furnace is turning on but not creating any heat, you may have a furnace ignition problem. If the blower turns on and runs, but the air coming out of the vents of your home is cold, the ignition could be to blame. Here are a few common ignition problems and how to resolve them.
Pilot lights can go out due to system issues, drafts, or even tripped failsafes inside your furnace. If your pilot light isn’t working, your furnace will not be able to ignite the flames of your furnace, and your system won’t heat. To light your pilot light, use your furnace owner’s manual and follow the directions closely. Here are a few guidelines for relighting your pilot light.
Electronic ignitions can become dirty from soot buildup on the ignitor. Eventually, the entire ignition sequence will stop operating, which keeps the system from starting up. Typically when this happens, the furnace emits a clicking noise, but the furnace doesn’t turn on. Cleaning the ignition can help, but it is crucial to be as careful as possible since these elements are delicate and can be damaged easily. If the ignition sequence does become damaged, it will need to be completely replaced.
If the furnace turns back on, you may have resolved the issue. If the ignitor is broken, the ignition sequence may need professional repairs.
If your furnace short cycles, or turns on but then turns off quickly, there may be deeper issues at fault. Here are a few reasons your furnace may be turning off.
When air filters become dirty and clogged with grime, they prevent normal airflow from within the furnace. This simple problem can allow too much heat to build within the heater, which can damage the furnace components. Check your filter and replace it whenever it appears dirty.
The furnace flame sensor detects when a flame is present while gas flows through the system. If it becomes dirty with soot from combustion, it may not correctly sense the flame and shut down the furnace for safety incorrectly, even though everything else is working properly. To clean the flame sensor, follow these troubleshooting steps:
Anytime you try to troubleshoot your furnace and it isn’t working, it’s important to call in the help of a professional. Here at Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we are always here to help. Whether you experience a sudden heating failure or your system needs a routine tune-up, we can help. Give us a call to help you to get your HVAC system on track.