{"id":1609,"date":"2020-12-07T11:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2020-12-04T11:49:30","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T16:49:30","slug":"ways-troubleshot-faulty-gas-furnace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/ways-troubleshot-faulty-gas-furnace\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Troubleshot (Not Repair!) a Faulty Gas furnace"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Heating__iStock_000008099675_Large-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"burners-in-furnace\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Heating__iStock_000008099675_Large-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Heating__iStock_000008099675_Large-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Heating__iStock_000008099675_Large-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>We want to be clear about this from the start: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only a trained, licensed HVAC professional should repair a gas furnace.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is a matter of safety\u2014although even if it were safe to tinker with a gas furnace on your own, you\u2019d still only want a trained professional\u00a0to touch the system\u00a0to make sure the repair is done right. In many jurisdictions, it\u2019s illegal for anyone without a special license to work on an appliance connected to a gas main.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post we\u2019re making a distinction between trying to repair a gas furnace and going through basic troubleshooting steps when a furnace isn\u2019t working properly. There\u2019s nothing wrong with making checks on a furnace before you call us for <\/span><a href=\"\/service-areas\/plattsburgh-ny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heating repair in Plattsburgh, NY<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Often, the problem with a non-working furnace is something simple you can correct on your own. Just don\u2019t take any steps where you need to get tools and open up the furnace! That\u2019s the point where you\u2019ve gone past troubleshooting and might get into actual trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. See that the furnace switch is turned on<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this is the first time you\u2019ve used the furnace for the season, the reason it might not come on is because it\u2019s still switched off. The furnace has its own switch located near it which is used to shut the system down for summer. Make sure this switch is set to \u201con.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Check for tripped circuit breakers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you have a gas or electric furnace, the system still uses electronic components to operate: the furnace control board, the ignition system, the blower fan. When the furnace won\u2019t turn on or shuts down abruptly, check the electrical panel to see if the breaker for the furnace has tripped. This can happen due to an overloaded motor. If the furnace continues to trip the circuit breaker, call us for repairs because there\u2019s something causing an electrical problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Replace a clogged furnace filter<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The furnace filter needs to be changed for a new one every one to three months. If a clogged filter is left in place, it will create numerous problems for the furnace, such as a drop in heating power and a loss of energy efficiency. A clogged filter can also trap excess heat inside the furnace and lead to it tripping its limit switch, which will shut down the furnace. Check on the filter and put in a clean one if it is clogged. Mark down a reminder to continue to change the filter during the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Check the thermostat\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure the thermostat setting is at least 5\u00b0 higher than the temperature of the house, otherwise the furnace may not register that it\u2019s supposed to turn on. You may find the thermostat needs to have new batteries put in (if it\u2019s not hardwired). If you have a programmable thermostat, make sure the current programs are correct and not set for earlier in the year; someone in the house may have accidentally activated an older program. Move any heat-generating objects away from the thermostat that might be creating false readings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019ve taken these steps and you still have a non-working furnace, reach out to us for solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Red Rock Mechanical, LLC serves Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York. <\/b><a href=\"\/contact\/schedule-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Call us for any heating repair you need this winter.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this post we\u2019re making a distinction between trying to repair a gas furnace and going through troubleshooting steps when a furnace isn\u2019t working properly. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[76],"tags":[98,50,91],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1611,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions\/1611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redrockmechanical.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}