When your furnace won’t start, doing your own furnace repair in Macon, Georgia, can feel pretty overwhelming.
Figuring out a furnace-related problem might feel like a challenging undertaking when your heat won’t power on. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
There are several fast, inexpensive fixes you can do yourself to prevent a furnace repair call.
If your furnace won’t turn on, won’t stay on or won’t ignite, try the troubleshooting list below before calling an HVAC professional.
If you find you need help from a heating and cooling professional and live in Macon, Air Temperature Control can provide assistance to you. We can repair most brands of heating systems and also provide emergency furnace repair.
If it’s time for a new heating system, we also provide furnace installation.
While you’re chatting with us, consider a routine furnace maintenance plan that might help you avoid breakdowns in the future. We can tell you how regularly your furnace should be checked by one of our NATE-certified professionals.
Go through our easy guide below to start troubleshooting your furnace. Most of these steps don’t require mechanical know-how.
Furnace Repair Checklist
1. Check the Thermostat
To begin, make sure your thermostat is signaling your furnace to ignite.
Digital Thermostat
Swap out the batteries if the screen is blank. If the digital screen is jumbled, the thermostat may need to be replaced.
Make sure the switch is set to “heat” as opposed to “off” or “cool.”
Ensure the program is displaying the correct day and time and is set to “run.” If you’re having problems overriding the program, set the temperature by using the up/down arrows and press the “hold” button. This will make the furnace to turn on if thermostat programming is causing a problem.
Increase the temperature setting to 5 degrees warmer than the room temperature.
If your furnace hasn’t started within a couple minutes, make sure it has power by toggling the fan switch from “auto” to “on.” If the fan doesn’t run, your furnace could be without power.
Smart Thermostat
If you have a smart thermostat—like one made by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch—troubleshooting is very model-specific. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for help. If you still can’t get your Wi-Fi thermostat to work, call us at 478-202-3170 for heating and cooling service.
2. Examine Breakers and Switches
Next, you will need to check if your breaker and furnace switch are on.
Locate your house’s main electrical panel. If you have no idea where it is, search for a gray metal box in your basement, garage or closet.
Make sure your hands and feet are dry before touching the panel or breakers.
Locate the breaker labeled “furnace” or “heat,” and make sure it’s switched “on.” If the breaker has tripped, it will be in the middle or “off” position.
Using one hand, firmly switch the breaker to the “on” position. If the breaker immediately trips and pops back to “off,” don’t try to reset it and contact a professional from Air Temperature Control at 478-202-3170 right away.
No matter your furnace’s age or brand, it has at least one standard wall switch located on or by it.
Make sure the switch is flipped up in the “on” position. If it was turned off, expect your furnace to take up to five minutes to ignite. (If you don’t know where to find your furnace, take a look at your basement, garage or utility closet. It could also be in a crawl space or attic.)
3. Replace the Air Filter
When it comes to furnace breakdown, a dirty, clogged air filter is often the top offender.
If your filter is too dirty:
- Your furnace won’t keep heating your home, or it could overheat from reduced airflow.
- Your energy bills could be higher because your furnace is turning on too often.
- Your furnace could fail sooner than it should because a dirty filter causes it to work harder.
- Your furnace can lose power if an extremely dirty filter causes the breaker to trip.
Depending on what make of furnace you use, your air filter will be inside the blower compartment of your furnace, an attached filter case or wall-mounted return air grille.
To replace your filter:
- Turn off your furnace.
- Pull out the filter and hold it up to the light. If you can’t see light through it, use a new one.
- Add the new filter with the arrow pointing toward the furnace to avoid damage.
Flat filters should be replaced every month, while pleated filters should last about three months. You can also buy a washable filter that will last about 10 years. If you have children or pets, you may have to put in a new filter more often.
To make the process smoother in the future, use a permanent marker on your furnace housing or ductwork to indicate the airflow direction and filter size.
4. Inspect the Condensate Pan
Also known as drain pans, condensate pans catch water your furnace pulls from the air.
If water is leaking out of your furnace or its pan has standing water in it, follow these steps.
- If your pan has a drain (look for a PVC pipe), check that it’s clear. If it needs to be drained, use a special pan-cleaning tablet you can get at home improvement or hardware stores.
- If your pan contains a pump, take a look at the float switch. If the switch is stuck “up” with standing water in the pan, contact us at 478-202-3170, because you will possibly need a new pump.
5. Check for Furnace Error Codes
If malfunctions continue, peek inside your furnace’s plastic window to verify the status of the blower motor. Depending on the model, the light could also be mounted on the outside of your furnace.
If you see anything else besides a steady, colored light or blinking green light, call us at 478-202-3170 for HVAC service. Your furnace may be emitting an error code that requires professional assistance.
6. Clean the Flame Sensor
If your furnace tries to start but shuts off without distributing heat, a dirty flame sensor could be responsible. When this happens, your furnace will try to turn on three times before a safety feature shuts it down for about an hour.
If you feel comfortable with opening up your furnace, cleaning your flame sensor is something you can do on your own. Or, one of our heating service experts can do it for you.
If you want to clean the sensor yourself, you’ll need:
- A 1/4” hex screwdriver or wrench
- Piece of light grit sandpaper, steel wool or emery cloth
- A dry, clean paper towel
Next:
- Disable the furnace’s power by using its wall switch or breaker. If your gas valve is not electric, you will need to shut off the gas as well.
- Remove the furnace’s front panel and trace the wire to the flame sensor.
- Unscrew the rod and use your sandpaper, steel wool or emery cloth to lightly rub the metal rod.
- Wipe off the rod with a paper towel.
- Remount the sensor.
- Replace the furnace doors.
- Turn the furnace’s power back on. It might run through a sequence of checks before continuing regular operation. If your furnace doesn’t ignite, the sensor may need to be replaced or something else may be wrong. If this happens, contact us at 478-202-3170 for heating and cooling repair assistance.
7. Relight the Pilot Light
If you have an older furnace, the pilot light could be extinguished. To relight it, find the instructions on a label on your furnace, or follow these steps.
- Locate the switch on the bottom of your furnace labeled “pilot,” “on” and “off.”
- Turn the switch to the “off” position.
- Wait at least five minutes to avoid possibly starting a fire.
- Turn the knob to “pilot.”
- Hold down the “reset” button as you bring the flame of a long lighter to the pilot light opening.
- Release the “reset” button once the pilot light is lit.
If you have followed the instructions twice and the pilot light still won’t light or stay lit, call us at 478-202-3170 for furnace service.
Check Your Fuel Source
Try switching on another gas appliance. If it doesn’t work, your natural gas service could be turned off, or you could be out of propane.
We Can Help with HVAC Repair
Followed our troubleshooting guide but your furnace still won’t work?
Call us today at 478-202-3170 or contact us online. We’ll come out and figure out the problem.