While it may not have happened to you, we’ve all heard that dreaded story about a furnace breaking down during winter. Having a reliable and well-maintained furnace is extremely important in order to keep your family and home safe and warm. In the event that your furnace does stop working, here are some things you can do before you call for furnace repair service from our team at Northwest HVAC Heating & Cooling in Vancouver.
Three Steps to Follow When Your Furnace Dies in Vancouver
- Is the Power Out?
While this may seem like an obvious thing, it can often be overlooked. Your furnace does need electricity to run, even if it is a natural gas furnace as well. This comes as a surprise for some, but electricity is used so your furnace and thermostat can communicate. Also, some models are made to automatically shut off (for safety reasons) if power is lost.If you wake up in the middle of the night to a cold house, try turning on a light to make certain it’s not a power outage that is causing it.
- The Thermostat
While this to may seem like an obvious one, many times thermostats can accidentally be changed or switched from the heat to the cool setting. If you have a newer thermostat, it can even be accidentally programmed when trying to set the temperature. Also, if you encounter a blank screen, swap the batteries in your thermostat.Once you’ve established that the heat setting is on and the batteries are good, try setting it to around five degrees hotter than it currently is set to. If you don’t hear your system turn on relatively quickly, it’s more than likely not a thermostat issue.
- Let’s Take a Look at the Furnace
The first thing is to ensure your furnace shut-off switch is turned on. Normally, this is located either on, or close to your furnace.At the bottom cabinet of your system, be sure that the door that covers your blower motor is closed and fastened. Similar to this, make sure that your air filter isn’t too old as a clogged filter can cause a shutdown. And lastly, check that the pilot light is lit. If it’s out, try lighting it, and if that doesn’t work, there could be a larger issue.
Northwest HVAC Heating & Cooling Provides Furnace Repair Service & More
Contact our Northwest HVAC Heating & Cooling team for furnace repair, products, and more in Vancouver.