Having a furnace unexpectedly shut off can be one of the most alarming things to happen to a homeowner. Particularly in the colder months of the year, a fully operational furnace is key to keeping everyone in the house warm, comfortable, and safe. Having that luxury taken away is alarming, and an urgent problem to solve.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways you can go about fixing this issue. While calling in professional help is always a good idea when it comes to fixing your furnace, many of the potential issues causing your furnace malfunction can be easily solved with no prior training. So, to ensure your house always stays warm, here are some basic steps that you can take as a homeowner at the first sign of furnace trouble.
Before checking any of the below components, ensure that the thermostat is calling for heat from the furnace. If your house is already warm enough to where the furnace does not need to be running, it will be difficult to check that the furnace is operating correctly.
The first, and easiest step to take is to double-check that the furnace has not been manually turned off. Locate the labeled furnace service switch and flip the switch to “ON” if it is not already. You should also check that the breaker connected to your furnace is powered on. While these seem like obvious solutions, it is important to check, as things can often be accidentally bumped out of place.
If that solution doesn’t work, it is time to take a look at the furnace itself. For safety, when you are working on the furnace, first turn off both the gas to your furnace, and then the electricity. Just remember to turn them back on when checking whether your solution works. After that, the next thing to check is your furnace’s filter. Pop open the door covering the filter and slide it out. If there is an excess amount of dirt and grime covering your furnace’s filter, it will not be able to operate properly due to a lack of airflow to the furnace itself. To solve this, you should replace your filter.
To replace your filter, you just need to make sure that the “air flow” arrow on the filter is pointed towards the furnace itself. This is because, for the filter to properly work, the air will need to first flow through the filter, and then into the furnace. Push the filter all the way back in, and then close the door. Your furnace filters should be replaced around every 1-3 months, so if you aren’t within that time frame, it is likely that this is your issue.
If those steps haven’t worked, you can now take the cover off of your furnace. If you are unsure of how to do this for your specific model, you can find out in your furnace’s service manual, or by searching the model number found on your furnace in your preferred online search engine. Once you have done that, locate the on/off switch within the furnace itself. As with the prior exterior switch, ensure this is turned “ON”.
If that didn’t work, you should check at the bottom of the furnace, where there will be a small window. In that window, there will be LED lights that should be displaying a numerical code. Take note of this code, as if there is an issue with the furnace, you should be able to diagnose what that issue is by consulting your furnace’s manual.
If you are unable to find this code, or are unable to find the corresponding issue in your manual, there is one more thing you can check before calling in a professional. Go outside your home, and find the exhaust pipe for your furnace. If there is anything blocking this pipe, such as ice that has built up over the winter months, clear it out of the way. This debris could block airflow to the furnace, causing it to shut off.
By this point, hopefully you have been able to troubleshoot the issue with your furnace. If problems persist, calling in professional help is advisable. If you were able to find a numerical code from earlier, make note of that code and present it to your furnace technician. This can help them more quickly diagnose and fix your furnace’s problem.
We hope that these tips have helped you get your furnace back up and running! If you are having trouble implementing any of these steps, or need a visual aid, be sure to check out this video on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSFiTdwj38