Annual service on your furnace should prevent your system from breaking down during the long, cold Ohio winter. If your furnace is older, or if it’s been awhile since you had a furnace tune-up, a problem with your furnace may raise its ugly head. However, if the following fixes don’t work, or if you aren’t comfortable poking around in your furnace, call a certified HVAC technician for a service call as soon as possible to ensure the problem with your furnace doesn’t get worse.
Your pilot light goes out (not an issue with modern furnaces that don’t use pilot lights):
- Clogged orifice. Turn off the furnace, both at the circuit breaker and gas shutoff valve. Insert a thin piece of wire into the tiny hole where the flame comes out to remove ash and other debris.
- Pilot light is set too low. Use a screwdriver to turn the flame adjustment screw. Your pilot light should be 1-1/2 to 2 inches high, with no yellow.
Your furnace isn’t heating properly:
- Check the thermostat to ensure it’s set properly. Raise the temperature by 5 degrees, then wait a few minutes to see if that helps.
- Make sure the registers in your rooms are open and unblocked.
- Check the furnace filter and replace it if it’s dirty.
Your furnace cycles on and off too often:
- Check your thermostat for a lever that controls the length of the cycles. Some have it; some don’t. One end of this scale should be marked “longer.” Slide the lever one or two marks closer to “longer.” Wait several hours to see if this fixes the problem.
- If this doesn’t work, you may need to replace your thermostat.
Your furnace is running, but isn’t blowing air:
- This is most likely due to a broken belt. To change it, turn off your furnace and shut off your gas at the shutoff valve. Remove the access panel and remove the broken belt. Loop the new belt over the motor’s pulley, then pull it tight over the blower pulley.
A qualified HVAC technician can complete all of these steps for you, if you feel the least bit anxious or uncomfortable working with your furnace. For help troubleshooting a problem with your furnace, or for prompt service, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating and Air Conditioning, serving Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties with a high level of customer satisfaction.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnace troubleshooting and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area