You may be able to Troubleshoot Your Malfunctioning Furnace

With the transition from cooling season to heating season, it’s a good time to review and possibly expand on your furnace troubleshooting skills. When a furnace stops heating your home on a sub-freezing day in January, it not only threatens your comfort at home; it can endanger you and your family.

Likewise, a furnace that seems to be struggling to heat your home, or whose performance has been declining over time, should get immediate attention. If you can’t diagnose and correct the problem with some basic furnace troubleshooting, you’ll need to call in a trusted Cincinnati heater repair contractor.

Tips on determining what’s wrong with your furnace

If your Cincinnati heater won’t turn on…

• Find the power source for the blower motor and make sure it’s turned on and/or connected to an electrical outlet. Without a working blower, a furnace can’t distribute heated air throughout your home and draw it back in to be reheated.
• Look at the thermostat to ensure it’s set to “Heat” and that the temperature setting is higher than the temperature of the air surrounding the device.
• Has the circuit for the furnace been tripped? Look in the circuit box to make sure this hasn’t happened. Any of these issues is likely an easy fix.
• The furnace’s ignition system could be the problem as well. If you have an older furnace that uses a pilot light, check to make sure it’s working. If it’s not, try relighting it. If it doesn’t stay lit, call in a technician from one of Cincinnati’s best furnace repair.
• n electronic ignition (common in modern combustion furnaces) that’s not working likewise will need professional attention. It’s probably worth noting that if you’re still using a furnace with a pilot light, it’s likely a very old model that’s due for replacement.
• This could also be a mechanical problem with the blower motor. If you heard rattling or banging in the motor compartment, the problem could be a loose or broken part. Unless you’re mechanically inclined and have worked with engines before, this isn’t a fix you should attempt.
• If small explosions can be heard inside the furnace before the gas is ignited, it could signify one or more clogged burners. In this case, the natural gas has accumulated inside the burner, and finally ignites with a small pop.
• If the burner gets totally clogged with soot, the furnace will shut down. This is another situation for a professional repair of your Cincinnati furnace.
• The good news is, you can avoid this and most of the other problems by scheduling professional seasonal maintenance on your furnace system every year. Consider joining a maintenance club with your chosen Cincinnati HVAC contractor.

If Your furnace isn’t heating your home adequately…

This could have a variety of causes. They include…

• A clogged air filter. When dust and debris have coated the filter, your furnace may have a difficult time blowing air through the filter. This can result in warm air not making it to all of its intended destinations in your home.
• You can prevent this by inspecting the filter once a month and replacing it when necessary. A dirty filter has other negative consequences as well, including additional friction and stress in the machinery, and deteriorating air quality.
• Blocked heating registers. Make sure there’s no rugs, furniture, drapes, boxes, etc., covering or partially covering heating registers. This also is an easy fix.
• A blower motor that’s dirty or hasn’t been lubricated. Any machinery that’s encountering unnecessary friction during operation will see a diminution in performance.
• Dirty, leaking or otherwise defective ductwork. If you don’t feel any warm air coming out of a certain register, while other parts of the home appear to be heating just fine, the ductwork is likely the culprit.
• You may want to consider a professional duct inspection, which will determine whether repair or cleaning is warranted. You can inspect visible ductwork yourself for obvious issues, such as detached sections or gaps or holes.
• The fix might be as simple as reattaching two sections and sealing with quality metal tape (as opposed to duct tape, which oddly enough should never be used on ductwork!).
• Airflow that needs to be adjusted.

When To Call In a Furnace Pro

If your initial troubleshooting fails to diagnose or fix the problem, whether it’s no heat or inadequate heat, call a contractor who’s considered one of the best heating and AC companies in Cincinnati to dispatch a technician to diagnose and fix the problem.

(Many issues with a heating system may similarly arise with an air conditioning system.)