Before You Call Your Technician, Use These Furnace Troubleshooting Tips

The good news is that you won't need a repair technician for every issue. Use these furnace troubleshooting tips to help you assess the severity of the problem and know when to contact an expert.

Furnace produces no heat

• Check your thermostat's settings to ensure it is in heating mode and that your temperature is set to an appropriate level.
• If you know how, clean the contacts located inside of the thermostat.
• Check the circuit breaker or fuse that controls the furnace; replace a blown fuse and reset a tripped circuit.
• Older systems will have a pilot light. Check to see if you need to relight it if it has gone out.

Furnace doesn't produce enough heat

• Check the furnace filter, and replace if dirty.

Furnace turns on and off too often

• Check and clean the thermostat's contacts, if you've done this before.
• Check the furnace filter; replace if necessary.

Blower does not turn off

• Check the thermostat's settings to ensure it isn't set to "fan" mode.
• Replace the fan limit control switch, located on the furnace, if you know how.

Many of the common problems that show up in furnaces are actually caused by the thermostat. If you've performed the tasks listed above, the problem may be with the thermostat.

However, most furnace problems do require professional help. If you're a novice, it's best that you don't attempt to fix a furnace, as your heating system is a highly complex piece of equipment, a significant investment and your family's source of comfort.

If you're unable to identify and fix your furnace problem yourself, contact the experts at Rodenhiser Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning for help. Proudly serving the Route 495/128 area of Massachusetts, we're happy to answer questions or address your other heating and cooling needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnace troubleshooting tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.