Troubleshooting for Furnace Maintenance
If your furnace is having problems, you can take several troubleshooting steps before you call a professional. Unless you already need to call a professional for your yearly furnace maintenance, these are some steps you can take on your own.
Check Registers and Vents
If the problem is a lack of air circulation, ensure that the vents and registers are open and unblocked. This is a good furnace maintenance habit to develop at the start of each heating season.
Check the Filter
Replacing filters is a vital part of furnace maintenance. Here are some tips for checking and changing them:
- Turn off the thermostat first.
- If the filter is opaque with debris, replace it.
- Place the new filter with the arrows pointing in the direction of the airflow.
- As part of home furnace maintenance, remember to check the filter about every month.
Inspect the Thermostat
If the furnace filter is clean, the next troubleshooting step is to see if the thermostat is set to the heat setting. If it is, follow these steps:
- Check the batteries to see if they need to be replaced.
- On an electromechanical thermostat, open it to dust it gently with a small, soft-bristle brush.
- Ensure that the thermostat’s location is not preventing it from turning on because of sunlight, a space heater, or something else.
Steps for Furnace Maintenance
If the filter and the thermostat are both ok, power could be the issue. Be sure that your hands and feet are completely dry whenever you touch a fuse or breaker box. These are the next troubleshooting steps:
- Try turning off the furnace switch and turning it on again.
- If the switch is not the problem, check the electrical panel to ensure that the power is on from the breaker or fuse box, but turn off the furnace switch first.
- Check to see if the breaker must be flipped.
- For a fuse box, look for a damaged fuse to replace.
- Turn on the furnace switch again to see if the furnace works.
If the above steps do not solve the problem, call a professional. Also, if there appears to be damage to the fuse or breaker box, call a professional.
Check for Gas Issues
Remove the access panel, and check to see if the flame is blue. If it is any other color, call a professional immediately. If the pilot light is out, it is better to call a professional to relight it. Only people who are familiar with proper relighting protocol should attempt this.
Furnace Maintenance Help
If these tips do not help, a technician can inspect the furnace. It is essential to have professional furnace maintenance conducted at the beginning of each heating season. Please get in touch with us for quick service or answers to any questions.
