Winter is beginning to creep back into our lives again and, before it does, you should prepare yourself in case anything should go wrong with your furnace.
The team at Jeremy Electrical, Heating & Cooling has put together the list below that covers some sneaky troubleshooting tricks that only the savviest of homeowners know. The best part? You can do these all on your own, without the help of a professional, which means no unnecessary fees or phone calls! Have at it and keep your house warm this winter.
Related Read: DIY Furnace Safety Check for Homeowners
1. Check Your Thermostat
Ever call your cable company to complain about spotty internet and the first thing they ask you is if your computer is even on? Well, the same logic applies here: Check the most obvious possibility first before delving into all kinds of, potentially, unnecessary steps.
If you have kids, a spouse, or even a house guest, it’s entirely possible they may have tinkered with your thermostat or maybe even bumped into it by accident. Either way, go to the source and make sure it’s running the way it ought to before jumping to a more complicated conclusion.
Related Read: Warm House, Low Bills: How to Set Your Programmable Thermostat for Fall
2. Check Your Power Supply
Yes, of course furnaces use gas, but you know what they say, you can’t start a fire without a spark, and in this case, your igniter is that spark. If your furnace is on the fritz, be sure to check your circuit breaker. If the issue is here, all you may need to get that fire started is a simple flip of a switch.
3. Check the Pilot Light
Again, simple right? But it’s these simple solutions that sometimes slip people’s minds when they’re cold and annoyed and just want to sit down at the end of a long day. If this is what’s making your home into an igloo then check out this simple fix.
4. Check the Gas
Simply put, you can’t heat a home without gas. Sounds simple enough, but think how ticked you’d be if you called a technician to come and check on your furnace and his answer was, “You’re just out of gas.” Kind of like calling a mechanic to fix your car when your only issue is an empty gas tank.
5. Check & Clean the Condensate Pan
Don’t worry, you don’t really need to learn the anatomy of a furnace, just know that your furnace can stop working if the drain to your condensate pan stops draining. Take a quick look to make sure it’s clean and in working order before calling in the professionals.
6. Check the Furnace Filter
Some of the newer furnace models will stop working if the furnace filter gets too dirty. Replace the filter and see if that solves the problem. You should change your filter regularly because a dirty filter can greatly decrease the efficiency of your furnace and increase your energy bills. Be sure to check this periodically to keep your furnace running strong throughout the season.
