How To Handle A Furnace That Won't Turn On

7 June 2016
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If your heater hasn't been working properly lately, then there are a number of reasons that might be to blame. Some such problems will require a professional touch, but many heating problems can be fixed by a dedicated homeowner that has a few hours to spare. Here is one of the most common heating problems and some tips to help you find a quick solution:

Is your furnace not turning on at all?

If your home is not warming up when you crank up the thermostat, then it's time to take a look at your furnace and figure out exactly what's going on. If you are dealing with some sort of disruption between the the power and your furnace, then there is a good chance that you will be able to handle everything without needing to call in the professionals. However, your exact plan will depend quite a bit on what kind of power your furnace uses.

Do you have a gas furnace?

If your furnace is powered by gas, then you are going to need to make sure that the gas line to your furnace is uninterrupted. Someone might have shut off your gas main or your home simply might not be getting gas at the moment due to a service disruption in your area.

If there is gas flowing, then you should check the pilot light if you have one. If the pilot light is not lit, then you may need to relight it.

If you are still having problems, then you may need to get a professional to take a look. However, if you have a gas furnace that is started with electricity, then you should proceed to the next question. If your furnace isn't getting electricity, then it simply won't turn on if it uses electricity at all, even if it's mainly powered by gas.

Do you have an electric furnace?

You will want to make sure that electricity is getting to to your furnace, which means that you will need to check the power lines to the furnace and your circuit breaker.

The power lines to the furnace should be easy enough to check, since you are mainly looking for damage or an unplugged cord. If everything appears to be in order, then the problem is likely somewhere else.

The circuit breaker is similarly easy to check, since you really just need to flip the switches back into position if something is amiss. The bigger concern with circuit breakers is figuring out why the switches flipped in the first place, since that could be due to an overdrawing of power in your home. To rectify this, you could try redistributing high-wattage appliances throughout your home and limiting the amount of power that is being drawn in any one area at any given time.

For help fixing your furnace problems, contact J. P. Griffin Inc. or another local HVAC specialist in your area.