There’s a certain amount of furnace troubleshooting you can do before you need to call the pros to give you a hand with your furnace problems. Knowing when you can fix it yourself versus when it’s time to make that call is very important to save you both time and money. Trying to do something too advanced can actually compound the problem and make matters worse.
Here are some common furnace problems and a few solutions you can try out easily without risking any further damage to your heating system. Be sure to cut off the gas and electricity to your furnace before trying these. No Heat Coming From Furnace Be sure you have made the switch on your thermostat from cooling mode to heating mode. If you have an older furnace, check to see if you need to reignite your pilot light. Also check your circuit box and your emergency switch ( the red switch )to see if the furnace circuit has been turned off and needs to be reset. Not Enough Heat Coming From Furnace Dirty furnace filters are the number one cause for this problem. The debris they filter out from your air accumulates and makes it difficult for air to pass through. This in turn makes your furnace work harder to blast air through. This causes your energy costs to rise and can shorten the longevity of your system. Filters can become so clogged that the furnace will "trip" out on high temperature limit. A leaky duct system can also be the cause of you losing your warm air before it ever gets to your home or office. Patch up holes and loose connections that allow air to escape with duct mastic, an inexpensive material that easily spreads over problematic areas and seals them. Furnace Operates Too Noisily While you won’t be able to reach all the internal parts on your own, lubricating moving parts can help to reduce the noise. If these tips don’t help with your furnace problems, then contact the pros at Russell’s Heating & Coolingtoday. We’ve proudly served all of the Hampton Roads area since 1977. Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace issues and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide. Russell’s Heating & Cooling services the Chesapeake, Virginia and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our special offers and get started today! Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.