Imagine this. The house is freezing, so you rush to the furnace and turn it on. You flick the switch to the on position and wait for the heat to kick in, but nothing. Why is my furnace not kicking on when it should? You wonder.
According to HVAC repair services providers, the furnace will fail to kick on when you expect it to due to plenty of reasons. The most common ones being:
Wrong thermostat settings
The thermostat is responsible for telling the furnace when to turn on and off, so if your furnace isn’t coming on when it should, the first place to check is the thermostat. Ensure that the thermostat is in the “heat” mode and the temperature setting is lower than the actual temperature in the house.
If you do this and still the furnace won’t kick on, chances are there is dirt built up in the thermostat sensors. To access the sensors, you have to remove the thermostat’s cover. Dust the thermostat with a soft brush and remove any dust that might be there.
While at it, check whether the batteries still have got some charge remaining and if not, replace them. It’s also wise to check whether the thermostat is on a schedule or cycle that might be preventing the furnace from turning on.
The fuse is blown
The furnace uses electricity to blow air throughout the house, so when the fuse is blown, there is no way the furnace will come on when you start it. Check the fuse and replace it if blown.
The circuit breaker has tripped.
Your furnace might also be failing to kick on due to a tripped circuit breaker. After all, if there is no power getting into the house, there is no way the furnace will come on, right?
Find the circuit breaker powering your furnace and ensure they are in the “ON” position. If the circuit breaker is on, but the furnace isn’t coming on, chances are you have an electrical problem that you should have checked by an authorized electrician.
The gas valve is partially turned on.
For safety reasons, homeowners turn their valves partially, which can prevent the furnace from kicking on when needed. You should check whether you have fully turned the valve on and if you haven’t, do it.
For proper working, the valve should be either all the way on or all the way off. It should never be in the middle.
You have a blower motor problem.
If the blower motor isn’t working, there is no way your furnace will come on. You should check the blower system, and if there is a flashing green light, it’s working. If there is a red light or no blinking at all, you have a blower problem that you should have checked by a certified professional. Don’t try to fix the problem as you might cause more problems than were there.
The water in the furnace isn’t draining.
It’s normal for furnaces to have a condensation pan that collects water. When the reservoir is full, the furnace won’t come on. You can get the furnace going by draining the water, but this isn’t a viable long-term solution.
To prevent the problem from coming about in the future, inspect the system and get rid of any blockages in the appliance preventing the water from draining. You also should confirm whether the condensation removal pump is working properly.
The air filter is dirty.
The air filter looks like a harmless unit, but it has a significant impact on the workings of the furnace. When the air filter is too dirty or covered in a lot of debris, the airflow might be seriously reduced, and this can prevent the furnace from coming on.
When the filter is clogged, it can cause the furnace to overheat, which triggers a safety feature that can shut off the furnace to prevent fire or carbon monoxide poisoning danger.
When was the last time you cleaned the air filters? If it’s more than three months, it’s time to give them some attention. If the filters are too dirty or worn out, consider replacing them. The beauty of it is that you don’t have to hire a professional heating service repair VA provider to clean or replace the filters—you can easily do it by yourself.
