The furnace keeps your home temperature at comfortable levels to fight off cold. It lets you enjoy the coziness of your home. That’s why it is imperative that the furnace must be working properly at all times to avoid any inconveniences. Ignoring any issues, even small ones, can turn into bigger problems. So whenever you feel the furnace isn’t working perfectly, you should address the issue immediately. This guide will show you 4 of the most common furnace problems and how to fix them. Ensuring you never experience any of the most common furnace problems for too long.
1. Your Furnace Isn’t Producing Heat
It can be alarming if your furnace isn’t producing heat, as this is the only job it should be doing. However, it’s not a big issue to fix in most cases. You have to check for simpler solutions before moving onto more complicated ones. Check the fan setting on your thermostat. It may be set to auto or cool instead of heat. If this is the case, it may be distributing air through your home without warming it up first. This solution may seem obvious, but the best of us sometimes overlook the simple solutions. Another reason that your furnace isn’t producing heat is that your thermostat is turned off. Or, the temperature setting is too low. For these reasons, always check your thermostat first when your furnace isn’t heating at all. These are among the most common furnace problems that homeowners can resolve themselves.
Replace your furnace’s air filter at least once during winter. Replace it monthly if you have a large family with pets. The importance of this air filter is that it prevents dust and debris from going through the vents into your house. Failing to replace the air filter can cause it to become clogged from the accumulation of dust and debris. This prevents the airflow from the furnace. The solution, in this case, is simple; you should replace the air filter immediately. Clogged air filters are one of the most common furnace problems faced by homeowners.
Another reason your furnace might stop producing heat is that the fuel doesn’t ignite to warm the air.
This problem occurs when the pilot light in a furnace isn’t igniting or is constantly going out if you’re using an older model of furnace. Newer models have electronic ignition that ignites the pilot light. If the ignition isn’t working, the pilot light won’t ignite the fuel. You can follow the instructions to light the pilot light yourself. If it will not light, you have to call a technician to fix it as it may need certain expertise and spare parts.
2. Your Furnace Doesn’t Turn On Automatically
The thermostat signals the furnace so that it turns on and starts producing heat, that’s how normally it works. If you feel it’s getting cold in your house and the furnace is turned on, then there is something wrong. It might need a quick fix or it could be a bigger problem.
You should fix both issues right away. One reason the furnace doesn’t turn on automatically is that the circuit breaker sits in the off position.
According to HVAC specialists at performancebasedheatingandair.com/, you should open your breaker box and flip the furnace switch back on. That might be what’s stopping the furnace from turning on. Adjust the temperature and see if that works. Other reasons for this problem may include a clogged air filter, faulty pilot light or ignition, or there is no fuel. These are all examples of the most common furnace problems you can check for.
3. Your Furnace Became Noisy
Some furnaces make noise, and that noise shouldn’t worry you if you’re used to it. But it should be a consistent noise in some way. However, if the furnace is making a knocking or rattling noise, then something has become loose. You need to adjust or tighten it. Fuel left in the combustion chamber after you turn off the furnace creates a rumbling noise.
Squealing noises indicate that the belt connecting the motor to the fan has slipped or needs replacing. In any of these cases, you should contact a technician to fix the problem.
4. Your Furnace Stopped Working
If the furnace shuts down before reaching the temperature set by the thermostat, the problem can have similar reasons to previous problems. There might be a clogged air filter or the safety switch got triggered and shut down the furnace. If you have checked all of these things and nothing seems to work, it’s time to call a technician to analyze what the reason is for this problem.
However, you don’t need to call the technician every time something goes wrong. You have the basic information to analyze and fix any issues that arise with your furnace. Whether it doesn’t produce heat, doesn’t turn on automatically, becomes noisy, or stopped working altogether, knowing how to address the most common furnace problems will save you time and trouble.
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