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Where is the warmth? Try these three trouble-shooting tips if your furnace won’t start this fall

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Welcome to the fall season! This time of year can be gloriously beautiful, with lovely temperatures and slowly changing landscapes.

Homeowners will benefit from acting on minor maintenance items around the home at this time of year. For example, trimming outdoor vegetation will avoid unwanted debris or damage to the exterior of your home during inclement fall weather.

It can also be a time for wide variations in temperatures. You might want to cool your house in response to very humid temperatures at the beginning of the week, only to turn on your furnace as temperatures plummet into the single digits by week’s end.

During these transitional times, you may discover problems with your furnace starting up again.

If you try turning on your furnace and do not feel any warmer, here are a few places to begin your investigation.

 

1.      Check your furnace for power.

Check to see if your furnace circuit breaker has tripped. Your home’s fuse box can be located in the basement, garage, or exterior of the building. An electric outage, storm or power surge through the electrical system of the house can cause the furnace’s circuit breaker to trip or the fuse to blow.

If it has, reset and allow time for a normal heating cycle.

2.      Check to ensure that the thermostat is set appropriately.

Your thermostat is the control centre of the furnace. Adjust the settings so that the thermostat is set to three or five degrees above room temperature. This should cause the furnace to start heating the room.

If your thermostat runs on batteries, also check to make sure that the batteries are functional.

3.      Check the furnace filter.

If your furnace filter is clogged, the system may be overheating without sending heat into your home. Ensure that the filter is replaced regularly during heating season to avoid this situation.

If you have tried these three steps and still do not feel any warmer, check to see whether you are receiving any airflow through the vents.

If you feel a steady but cool stream of air coming through your vents, this could indicate a problem with your heat exchanger or burner.

If you do not feel any air coming through the vents, it could be a problem with your blower fan. Check this by turning your thermostat to ‘fan only’ and wait a few minutes. If the fan does not start, you have a wiring issue or motor problem.

In both situations, only a certified HVAC technician can diagnose and remedy the issue correctly.

Here at Applewood Air, we are happy to assist you with fast, convenient, and helpful service for your home comfort needs. If you encounter problems with your furnace starting up again during the autumn season, do not hesitate to give us a call!

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