Few things are as irritating than waking up on a chilly New England morning to find that your house is freezing cold because your furnace has broken down.
When disaster strikes and your heat is out, it’s not just uncomfortable. It can be downright dangerous. If your home becomes too cold, your pipes can burst, causing thousands of dollars of water damage and inviting mold into your home.
Clearly, you need to get your furnace working again as soon as possible. However, before you put in a call to an HVAC technician, there are a few things you can check by yourself.
What to Do If Your Furnace Won’t Work
Check the Power Source
Before you panic about your furnace not working when you go to turn it on for the season, make sure that it is getting power. Check that you don’t have any tripped circuit breakers in your fuse box and that the furnace is set to “on.” It might seem obvious, but sometimes the most obvious solution is the right one.
Clear Debris
If your heater stops working all of a sudden, it might be because something is blocking the outdoor section of the unit. Your furnace might have fresh air intakes and exhausts along the side of your home. These intakes and exhausts can become clogged with debris like leaves, bugs, or sticks. Clear them away and try to turn your furnace on again.
Turn the Thermostat Up
This is another tip that might seem obvious, but if your furnace isn’t turning on, take a moment to double-check that the thermostat is set to heat your home at a high enough temperature to trigger the furnace to turn on. Sometimes, high-tech modern thermostats can be difficult to use and understand. To make things easier, keep the manual somewhere handy so it is easy to reference if something goes wrong.
Try Fresh Batteries
If your thermostat is the cause of your troubles, it might need new batteries. On the screen, there should be a battery icon that flashes to let you know that it is almost out of juice. Replace the batteries, and your furnace might turn back on.
Change the Filters
Sometimes, a dirty air filter can drastically reduce your furnace’s performance. If your furnace is blowing significantly less than it usually does, you should check the air filter to see if it needs to be changed. All sorts of things can clog up an air filter, including dust, dirt, and animal dander. On average, you should change your air filters four times a year.
Know When to Call a Pro
If you tried everything on this list and still can’t get your furnace to turn on, it’s time to call in the experts. An Evolved Mechanical technician can inspect your furnace and figure out exactly what your problem is.
If you don’t want to wake up on a frigid New England morning to a cold house, make sure to schedule regular maintenance check-ups with us. We can identify and fix small issues that might have turned in to big, expensive problems down the line. Plus, regular maintenance saves you time and money!
Call Evolved Mechanical to set up an appointment to get your HVAC system checked today!