Common Furnace Issues And How to Address Them

Heading into the winter season, every homeowner needs to make sure their furnace is in good working condition. Not keeping up with maintenance could lead to issues that leave the home freezing. Here are a few common issues with furnaces and ways to address them.

1. Lack of heat

If the system isn’t producing any heat, there could be a few potential causes. Make sure that the thermostat is set to heat and move the dial up or down a few degrees to see if there’s a difference.

Next, check to see if a circuit breaker or fuse has been tripped or blown. Go to the breaker panel and find the circuit that controls the furnace. See if it’s in the “off” position or if it’s in the middle. Flip it to the “on” position to reset it. If the furnace doesn’t start up, there could be wiring issues in the circuit or circuit breaker.

2. Problems with burner flames

Contaminated burners can lead to failures that affect the entire system. Inspect the burners for debris and remove it. The flames should be blue and even. Yellow flames indicate dirty burners that need to be cleaned. To clean the burners, turn off power to the furnace and use a vacuum cleaner to remove debris from the burners and the area around the blower.

3. Rapid cycling

A dirty or worn out filter could cause a furnace to cycle on and off very quickly. If replacing the filter doesn’t address the issue, there may be a problem with the blower motor and belts. In this case, you’ll need to call Hamilton Plumbing, Heating, A/C, Rooter for professional HVAC service.

4. Lack of air

If the furnace isn’t blowing any air, look into the inspection window to make sure the blower is clear of debris. Also look to see if the light is flashing green. If it’s red, then you’ll need to call for service. If the light is off, then the issue could be with the thermostat, run capacitor, blower motor, furnace control board, or transformer.

5. Continuously running furnace blower

If the furnace blower doesn’t seem to shut off, turn down the temperature on the furnace to see if this addresses the problem. Another potential cause could be an issue with the limit control switch.

Click here to see 5 tips for replacing your home’s HVAC system.