Furnace Repair

furnace repair

What to do When Your Furnace Wont Switch On

It might appear stressful to troubleshoot your furnace when your heat won’t run. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You could be able to skip a furnace repair call with our DIY troubleshooting guide. You don’t need any technical skills. And most of these fixes are quick and low-cost (or even free).

This list will walk you through how to fix your furnace when it won’t start, won’t stay on or won’t light.

When you require a pro in Brandon, Brandon Heating and Plumbing can lend a hand.

Schedule service now

We work on most makes and models of furnaces. If you need a new heating system, we also offer furnace replacement and furnace installation.

Furnace breakdowns are generally caused by forgotten routine maintenance. These checkups often disclose a high-cost problem before it gets worse—and causes your HVAC system to stop working.

During this service, our certified professionals will thoroughly inspect your furnace, make sure it’s working properly and lubricate moving parts. A well-managed furnace often lasts longer and operates more efficiently, saving you more on your heating costs.

Ready to start troubleshooting your furnace? Follow our step-by-step guide below.

Steps for Troubleshooting Your Furnace

Inspect Your Thermostat

Start by looking at your thermostat. Is it telling your furnace to start?

If you have a digital thermostat:

Digital Thermostat

Your furnace should turn on shortly. If it doesn’t, double check that it has power by sliding the fan switch from “auto” to “on.” If the fan doesn’t run right away, your furnace may not have access to power.

If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi thermostat—like one made by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch—turn to the manufacturer’s website for guidelines. If you can’t get your smart thermostat to work, call us at 204-728-0180 for assistance.

Smart Thermostat

Check Breakers and Switches

Next, you will want to make sure your breakers and furnace switch are on.

Your furnace has at least one wall switch located on or near it—no matter how old it is or who made it.

Replace Your Air Filter

Dirty, clogged air filters often generate issues that are easily avoidable.

You can get to your air filter inside your furnace’s blower component, attached filter case or wall-mounted return air grille. Its position depends upon what kind of furnace you have.

Replace furnace filter

When replacing your filter:

To make the process simpler in the future, use a permanent marker on your furnace housing or ductwork to indicate the airflow direction and filter size.

We advise replacing flat filters monthly. Pleated filters usually last about three months. You can also get a washable filter that will work for about 10 years.

If you have children or pets, you may need to replace your filter more often.

Brandon Heating and Plumbing stocks common filter sizes in-house. Give us a call today to order your replacement furnace filters!

Look at Your Condensate Pan

Condensate pans, or drain pans, capture water your furnace pulls from the air.

Follow these steps if your furnace is leaking water or there’s standing water in the pan.

Check Inside Your Furnace

You can check the condition of your furnace’s blower motor by looking inside the plastic window. Depending on the type, this light could be placed on the outside of your furnace.

Call us at 204-728-0180 if you see anything other than a solid, colored light or blinking green light. Your furnace is probably giving an error code that needs professional help.

Clean Your Flame Sensor

Is your furnace trying to start but shutting down without generating heat? A filthy flame sensor could be to blame. When this takes place, your furnace will try to start three times. Then, a safety feature will shut it down for about an hour.

You can clean the flame sensor yourself if you feel alright opening up your furnace. We can also do it for you.

Want to tackle cleaning the sensor yourself? You’ll need the following:

Next:

Relight the Pilot Light

If your furnace is an older style, its pilot light could be out. Relight it following the instructions on the label. You can locate the label on your furnace’s doors.

Or you can follow these steps:

Call us at 204-728-0180 if you’ve followed the guide twice and the pilot won’t light or stay lit.

Check Your Fuel Source

Are other gas appliances working? If they’re not, your natural gas service could be off. Or you could be out of propane.

We Can Diagnose Furnace Problems

Made it through our troubleshooting guide but your furnace still won’t start?

Call us today at 204-728-0180 or contact us online. We’ll come out to your home and find out what’s wrong.

    FOR FURNACE REPAIR

    CALL NOW 204-728-0180