Furnaces are fabulous! During the coldest of winter nights, they keep us warm. They also keep us cozy. And they keep us safe. And while all that is good and well — when our home’s furnace system stops running, or when it won’t come on, things get pretty serious pretty quickly. Often, when they won’t turn on, the problem is simple. Perhaps our furnaces won’t fire up because we haven’t used them for a long time. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case every time. Below we discuss some of the top reasons your furnace isn’t coming on.
Why Your Furnace Might Not Be Kicking On
First Check Your Thermostat
Thermostats are one of the main reasons why furnaces won’t fire up. When you consider it, it’s like having a television with no remote controller. No big deal, right?
When your furnace won’t start, first make sure your thermostat is set to “heating.” If you have it set to “fan,” it won’t be blowing any heat through your vents. If that’s not the problem, next, you should consider if it could be bad wiring. Now, remember, any time you are dealing with electricity, we strongly urge you to make sure you call a professional before proceeding any further. Finally, if none of the above fits the bill, it could be that your thermostat is too old, and it’s time to have a new one installed. If you call a professional, they can install the thermostat and explain to you how it works. Here at Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air, we’d be thrilled to install a pre-purchased thermostat for you at a low cost. We also sell thermostats here in the office if you’re interested.
Check Your Circuit Breaker
When a circuit breaker flips, it means too much electricity is traveling through a specific part. It isn’t equipped to handle all that power coming through it. So it trips. It shuts itself off so that your furnace doesn’t overheat because it could cause a lot more damage. It is meant to trip to prevent the wires from overheating and creating a fire. Here with electricity again, it’s best to have professionals work on bad circuit breakers because if they’re not installed precisely, the consequences can be severe.
Bad Pilot Light
This might be a problem you can fix on your own. Have a look under your furnace to see if the little blue pilot light is still flickering. If you find it’s not, you might be able to light it anew with a lighter. But if lighting it doesn’t work, you should call a professional. When a new pilot light needs to be installed, you are in luck. They’re not expensive to fix.
Inadequate Power To The Unit
When a furnace is not receiving sufficient power to run it correctly, there are several different wiring problems could be the cause. We firmly recommend you don’t touch it or try to fix it. Call a professional. We’d love to hear from you. Because even one wire out of place can mess up a unit and shorten its life expectancy.
Inadequate Gas Supply
When it comes to gas heating, it’s a bad idea to try to save on gas by only turning it on partially. Having your gas on partially is hard on your furnace. You should have it completely turned on. Some people believe that keeping it on half of the way helps to not allow as much into the system. Although this is true, it is still far worse for the lifespan of your furnace. It can decrease your system’s lifespan, and it can be a significant safety hazard. It should be either all the way on or off all the way.
The Condensation Pan
A furnace’s condensation pan accumulates excess water when the reservoir is filled. If the pan is filled, it will shut your furnace off completely. The water is then drained. Once this happens, a furnace won’t attempt to restart itself for safety purposes. Call a professional for help if you don’t know where the pan is placed or if it keeps filling up at a very fast rate.
Furnace Still Not Coming On?
If you have any additional questions concerning why your furnace is not coming on, please give Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air a call today at 937-502-3842 or schedule an appointment online now at https://ketteringoakwoodheatingandair.com/schedule-now/.
We’d love hearing from you!
