You can bet that eventually the winds of fate will throw you a curve ball on the coldest day of winter. You’ll wake up, notice it’s a lot colder than usual, and darn, your furnace won’t turn on. (You’ll likely express your alarm with something more forceful than “darn.”) This is extremely frustrating, and of course, you’ll want to get your broken heater fixed as soon as possible. You don’t want to be cold but you also don’t want your family members throwing things at you.
Before calling in your go-to professional HVAC repair service, however, you should try some troubleshooting. Even if you can’t get the heat pump or furnace to turn on, you might at least be able to narrow down what the problem is, saving the HVAC technician some time (and you some money) on your heating service repair.
Try These Ideas Before Calling in an HVAC Pro
• Check to make sure the furnace blower is getting power. Is there an on-off switch? Has the circuit breaker for the furnace or heat pump tripped? Look at the thermostat and make sure it’s set to “heat” and that the temperature setting is higher than the room temperature. If the thermostat is battery operated, does it have a fresh battery? Save yourself the embarrassment of having a furnace repair technician show up and discover a miss-set thermostat in his first five minutes in your home.
• If the furnace breakdown was preceded by a banging or rattling in the compartment for the blower motor, this might signal loose or broken machinery.
• Sometimes burners can get clogged with soot or ashes. When this happens, it’s not unusual to hear small explosions in the furnace as the gas accumulates at the opening before it ignites. If a burner gets totally clogged, there’s a good chance your furnace won’t turn on.
With issues concerning furnace burners or gas lines, it’s always better to call in an HVAC professional, such as the experienced, certified technicians who work for Jansen Heating & Air Conditioning. Of course, that’s also the case if you have no idea what’s causing the heating system to malfunction. The Jansen tech will inspect your system, diagnose the problem, explain the issue clearly and comprehensively, then provide you with a price quote for the work. Once you agree to the quoted price (which comes with Jansen’s Upfront Pricing Guarantee), the work should be completed promptly and effectively, and your family will be happy once again.
Regular Maintenance May Save You From a Heater Repair
It’s important to remember that a well-maintained heating (or cooling) system will experience breakdowns and performance issues much less frequently than one that gets indifferent or no maintenance. This applies to both DIY homeowners maintenance (such as replacing home air filters regularly) and keeping vents and registers clear) and yearly or semi-yearly professional maintenance. A well-maintained furnace, heat pump or AC will perform more efficiently, effectively and safely. Talk to Jansen Heating and Cooling about joining our service club, with discounted maintenance visits on a regular schedule.