One moment your furnace is working fine. The next moment it’s not. It happens all the time. Now, you may be asking yourself if you should call your HVAC technician, or if the problem could be something you might fix. Actually, many furnace problems can be resolved without too much fuss or expense. Give the following furnace troubleshooting tips a go and see if you can get your furnace or heat pump going!
Check the Thermostat
You certainly don’t want your HVAC technician to point out a simple oversight or quick fix that used up your time and expense. So, check your thermostat one more time to make sure it’s in HEAT/AUTO mode, and that your temperature setting is above room temperature.
Rapid Cycling
A clogged air filter is often the culprit for rapid cycling. Airflow is restricted to the point that the blower motor is strained and/or the heat exchanger becomes too hot without enough air circulating through it. Check the filter. If it’s dirty or clogged, change it and see if that fixes the problem.
No Gas Flame
Unless your furnace is very old, it probably uses an electronic ignition system of some type.
- Hot-surface: Hot-surface igniters usually last three to five years. It’s good to keep a spare around and replace it yourself should it fail.
- Spark: If your furnace uses an electronic spark ignition (but doesn’t spark), there could a problem with the control board not sending voltage. Reconnecting a loose wire is fine, but any other electrical problems should be handled by your technician.
- Flame sensor: Another common problem with gas ignition is that your furnace does engage, but quickly goes out. This is often due to a dirty flame sensor. Sandpaper may be used to clean the flame sensor, which is located at the burner assembly. It’s basically a thin metallic rod mounted in front of the flame stream.
Remember, before you try any furnace troubleshooting tips, turn off the gas valve and electricity to your furnace. If you need assistance getting the heat back on in your South Texas home, please contact CCAC.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.
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