3 Furnace Troubleshooting Steps You Can DIY

It’s almost mid-February and the temperature can still get pretty cold, which means you still rely on your furnace to heat your home. But sometimes, your equipment can act up, causing you to lose your comfort and convenience. You can always call your trusted heating company in Forest Lake MN for help. Professionals can definitely restore your heat, but sometimes, you may have to wait before the technician arrives. While waiting, you can do a few things to understand the problem a little bit better.

Here at Four Seasons Air Specialists, we aim to provide you with services to keep you and your family comfortable in the midst of unrelenting weather. In regard to this objective, here are DIY troubleshooting tips you might want to consider.

Check the filter.

Your furnace is equipped with an air filter that cleans the air that goes into the furnace as well as the warm air that circulates throughout your home. It gathers dust, debris, and other particles in the air, keeping them from accumulating in the system.

This part needs regular cleaning to ensure it works efficiently. When you fail to clean or replace your filter regularly, it will gather too much debris that can compromise airflow, which is essential to the entire system's proper functioning. This lack of airflow adds pressure to the system, causing it to work harder than usual. When left unchecked, this simple issue can cause high operational costs, subpar heating, and premature part failure.

Sadly, a neglected filter is one of the most common yet unnecessary maintenance issues homeowners experience. If you have a relatively new furnace, you should be fine because new furnace models automatically shut down before too much dirt is collected, prompting you to clean or replace the filters. Unfortunately, older units don't have this function and will continue working, but with a significant drop in efficiency.

For the most part, your filter should be replaced every three months, depending on usage. But during extreme weather, when the furnace works nearly non-stop, it is recommended to replace your filter at least once per month.

Check your user's manual to determine whether you have a reusable or a replaceable filter.

Check the vents.

Vents help you get rid of the byproducts of gas combustion. If they are clogged with snow or other elements, they can cause issues to your furnace as well as affectyour home comfort.

New high-efficiency models have a safety feature that automatically shuts down the furnace when the vents are congested. But if you have an older heating system, you may not have this convenience. Your furnace will continue to run, collecting great amounts of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, and potentially deadly gas. This is then circulated throughout your home, putting you and your family in danger of inhaling this gas.

A wrong practice among homeowners is that they close all the vents in unused rooms. This could actually lead to damage to your system as closed vents generate higher pressure, causing high resistance and increased heat on your furnace. So, avoid closing the vents in unoccupied rooms.

Check the pilot light or electronic ignition.

Depending on your furnace model, it may be equipped with either a standing pilot light or an electronic ignition. When these parts act up, it will be difficult to heat your home. A failing pilot light may be caused by a faulty thermocouple, drafts, or blockages in the furnace. Your furnace should produce a bright blue flame with a little bit of yellow on the tip.

If your pilot light shows a color other than blue, it means that your furnace is unable to properly burn fuel. This is something only a professional should try to fix. It is risky to try to solve this issue without proper training and knowledge.

If your ignitor sensor is filthy, it will not tell the furnace to turn on the gas supply. As such, you will need to clean it. To do this, turn off the power supply and unscrew the sensor and lift it out gently. Then, use a fine-grit sandpaper to remove grease and dirt. Once the sensor is clean, put the sensor back.

Ask the Furnace Experts

If your furnace exhibits more serious problems, call Four Seasons Air Specialists. As your reliable Hugo furnace repair company, it would be our pleasure to help you get your heat back in no time.