Brrrrr: 5 Common Furnace Problems and How To Troubleshoot Them

Are you worried about how your furnace will cope this winter?

The last thing you want in the middle of winter is for your furnace to break. Furnaces are quite complex. It can be daunting finding out what’s wrong and how to fix it.

Don’t worry! Read on for 5 common furnace problems and how to troubleshoot them.

1. Furnace Not Producing Any Heat

If your furnace is not heating your home, the first thing to check is that your thermostat is set correctly. Next, try moving the dial up or down a few degrees to check you can feel a difference.

If that doesn’t work, check your breaker panel. Flip the furnace’s breaker back and forth and make sure it is in the ‘on’ position to reset it.

If this doesn’t work, you may have a problem with the wiring or the breaker itself.

2. Not Producing Enough Heat

The most common cause for poor performance is a dirty or obstructed filter. If your filter isn’t functional, your furnace can’t perform at its best.

To check if it needs replacing, hold the filter up to the light.

If no light shows through, it needs to go. Reduced airflow can damage and overheat your furnace. Cleaning dirt that builds up will help prevent this. You should regularly replace your filter as part of standard maintenance.

3. Furnace Cycles too Often

This is often an issue with the thermostat. Check the batteries and replace if needed.

If you have an electro-mechanical thermostat you might need to open the panel and give it a light dusting. Use something like a soft paintbrush to avoid damage. Make sure to dust the metal coils and contact plates.

Make sure the thermostat isn’t generating false readings from things like lamps and sunlight. If this doesn’t help, you might need to replace the thermostat itself.

4. Blower Runs Continuously

The most common things that cause this are the thermostat or the limit switch. The limit switch shuts the furnace down if the air inside gets too hot.

Check to see if the thermostat as the fan switched on. If it is, you need to set it to ‘off’ or ‘auto’. If it is already set to this, the limit switch needs adjusting.

If you are confident, you will find adjustment instructions in your owner’s manual. If not, you may need to call a furnace service technician.

5. Oil Burner

The first step with an oil burner is if it goes on and off too much, you will need to clean or replace the filter. If it isn’t working at all, check that it is receiving electrical power.

Next check to see if the thermostat is on and working and the flame and heat sensors haven’t signaled the unit to shut off. If none of these solutions work, you are off best calling a repair technician.

Oil-burners are very complex to fix.

Common Furnace Problems Solved

All of these common furnace problems can have simple solutions that you can fix yourself. Perform simple troubleshooting can save you a lot of stress.

Remember to always check your furnace as part of your regular home maintenance.

If you’ve followed these tips and your furnace is still troubling you, then contact us today! At J&M Smith we provide affordable, dependable expert advice and solutions.