It’s freezing outside, and your furnace has quit working. But, before you call a professional, you should be sure it isn’t anything simple that you can solve yourself, right?

This is because there are many easy to fix problems that you can easily fix by yourself. To help you out, here are a few things to look into before calling a furnace repair service professional:

Confirm the thermostat is on

This sounds ridiculous, but it happens. (It’s easy to adjust your thermostat unintentionally and your unit stops working as well as you would want it.) Go to your thermostat and make sure it is:

On and functional (if not, the battery may need replacement).

Set to “heat”.

Set to “auto”.

Set at least three degrees above the room temperature.

Check the circuit breaker.

If no air is coming out of your vents, your furnace may not be receiving any power. Go to your main electrical panel and locate a circuit labelled “furnace” or “heater”.

Try switching it completely off and then back on again. Check the fuse in your fuse-type panel to ensure it is still good.

You should note that if your furnace continues to switch circuit breakers or blow fuses, turn it off and contact a professional electrician. There is most certainly a greater issue at hand, and running it may exacerbate it.

Check the pilot light.

If you have a gas furnace and it loses electricity, always check the pilot light. If the gas supply to the furnace fails, the pilot light will go out, and the furnace will stop running.

To switch back on the pilot light, follow these steps:

• Turn off the furnace and wait a few minutes for it to shut down entirely.
• Never modify anything on or in your furnace while it is operating, as this may cause more harm.
• Read the manufacturer’s directions for detailed measures to relight the pilot light.
• Most furnaces have a label on them with these guidelines; if you can’t locate the label, check the manual or look for the information on the manufacturer’s website.
• Find the gas valve, which is normally placed toward the furnace’s bottom.
• There should be three indicators: pilot, on, and off.
• Turn the switch or knob to the “pilot” position.
• Hold the reset button, which is often red.
• To relight a manual pilot light, use an external flame source, such as a long match.
• Turn the gas and furnace back on and check for any additional faults.
• If the pilot light burns persistently, you can turn the switch or knob back to the “on” position.

If your furnace’s troubles persist, consult an HVAC professional. Also, if you observe discolouration while checking the pilot light, get professional assistance.

Inspect the air ducts.

If there are cold places in your home despite hot air coming from the air vents, the problem could be anything other than your furnace not working properly. Instead, it could be the air ducts.

Find the handles (dampers) that protrude from the ducts. These regulate airflow. You should open all of the dampers completely.

If the entire room is cold, the air ducts may be leaking or have an incorrect design. Both of these faults will drastically raise your energy bill, so you must act fast to find the source.

You should inspect the ducts that you have access to for any obstructions or leaks. Check to ensure that no furniture, drapes, plants, or other objects are blocking the vents.

If you find any holes between ducts or portions that branch out, use special metal duct tape to seal them.

While this is the case, it is best to have an HVAC professional perform this for you. It is their responsibility, after all, to clean and repair air ducts, so their skill will ensure that the problem does not reoccur. They can also inspect difficult-to-reach areas of the air ducts.

Check the blower motor.

If your furnace is not receiving power, inspect the blower motor. When the furnace turns on, you’ll hear the blower motor start. When it comes on, you should notice warm air streaming from the vents.

If you hear the furnace start but do not hear the blower motor kick on, or if warm air does not come out of the vents, the blower motor may have failed. In this case, you will require the assistance of a specialist.

Find the power switch near your furnace.

Some furnaces are plugged into an outlet with a switch for turning off the power. This switch resembles a standard light switch; therefore, it can occasionally be unintentionally flipped.

You should find the switch near your furnace and try turning it on to see if it resolves your issue.

How can you avoid furnace surprises?

To avoid having to rush to fix the furnace when problems suddenly come about, you should take good care of your furnace. How do you do it?

For one, you should make it a habit to inspect your furnace regularly. A good rule of thumb is to have it checked by an expert at least once a year.

During the inspection, the professional will help identify even the smallest issues and fix them before they worsen.

When hiring repair professionals, ensure they are experienced and know what they are doing. You don’t want someone who causes more problems than were originally there.

Another thing you should do is to clean and replace the filters as soon as they get dirty. Of course, if you live in dusty areas or you have pets, you should clean them more regularly.

When getting the new filters, ensure they are high quality and have a high energy star rating.

Parting shot

These are some of the things you can try to repair before you hire a furnace service Huntington. As much as you should try to fix the issues, you should know your limits. This calls for you to stop trying to resolve a problem if it’s beyond your skill level.

When you try fixing the unit, and it’s not getting better, it might be time to involve the services of an experienced expert.