Thinking Ahead: Troubleshooting a Gas Furnace Before the Winter Months

As the colder months of fall and winter begin to creep up, it is important to check your heating systems inside your house for problems and leaks to help the efficiency of the system as well as save you some money. While many of these problems may seem simple to fix, troubleshooting a gas furnace should be left up to a professional.

Common Problems with Gas Furnaces

When troubleshooting a gas furnace it is important to note that the professional turns off all electrical power to your system before working on the system. Failure to do so could result in an injury or damage to your system.

When troubleshooting a gas furnace a common problem is that the colder months have hit, the heat has been turned on, and yet there is no heat coming out of the vents. The possible causes of this can range from the simple (thermostat set too low and not calling for heat) to a more complex issue that would need a professional there to fix (hot surface ignition or intermittent pilot electronic ignition problems).

Another common problem that could occur is that your gas furnace is not producing enough heat. This can be caused by a dirty air filter, dirty or misaligned gas burners. While a dirty air filter problem can be fixed by the homeowner, it is highly recommended that a furnace service technician is called in to have the burners adjusted and cleaned.

Advanced Problems with Gas Furnaces

The one major problem that everyone fears once the colder months have hit is that their furnace stops running. Some of the possible causes could simply be no-brainers once they are checked. There could be that there is no power running to the system, the power switch is off, the pilot light is out, no gas or a motor overload. As you begin to check and make sure that all of these simple problems are checked and still no luck with the system running, it may be time to call a professional.

Blown Fuses or Tripped Circuit Breakers

When a service professional is called to look at the furnace they may discover that it has blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers causing the furnace not to run. This can be fixed by the professional by simply checking all of the circuit breakers around or near the furnace and restoring the circuits.

Motor Overload or Pilot Light Out

These problems can be simple to fix, but can also be a forewarning leading to more major problems in the future that require a professional and new parts for your furnace. A motor overload can be fixed by simply waiting 30 minutes after the overload occurred and pressing the reset button, and repeating if necessary. If the pilot light is out, simply relighting the pilot will fix this problem.

An important thing to remember when troubleshooting a gas furnace is to never hesitate to call a service professional if the problem cannot be diagnosed by a simple look over of the furnace and its pilot light and air filter.