Learn How to Troubleshoot a Gas Furnace

Save time and money if you know how to troubleshoot a gas furnace.

A gas furnace should work without any glitches for the first ten years or so. But from time to time, you may encounter some issues involving your furnace that will prompt you to call for professional help. However, it is easy to resolve some of these issues just as long as you know how to troubleshoot a gas furnace.

If you’re up for the challenge of learning how to troubleshoot a gas furnace, be familiar with the following steps:

• Inspect for gas leaks – it is not that difficult to look for gas leaks. You can easily tell if your system has a gas leak by simply looking around the furnace’s base for the presence of gas or its smell lingering near the unit.
• Check your thermostat – at times, you may experience that your home is unusually colder than expected even if you already set the thermostat to your desired temperature earlier. The answer is simple, it is because of your thermostat. Check on it immediately because a faulty thermostat won’t heat your home effectively or lower your monthly energy bills.
• Ensure that the control valve remains open – did you ever experience opening the water faucet but there was no water coming out? When you check, you find out that the water valve is close. It is the same thing with your furnace. If your home feels cold because the furnace doesn’t generate any heat, don’t forget to take a look at your gas valve to see if it’s open.
• Replace your furnace filter – make sure your air filters are always clean and free of clogs by replacing it on a regular basis. Make sure you do it at least once every month or every three months. Clogged furnace filters minimize airflow that can result in lots of troublesome issues.
• Ensure that the belts are tight – if you hear your furnace making lots of noise, it may be caused by the tension belt. You have to call a heating expert to check this problem for you.
• Clean the furnace – make it a habit to clean the furnace once yearly so that it works without any glitches throughout winter. An efficient furnace uses less energy and costs you less money to operate.
• Light the Pilot – this small flame stays lit inside your furnace and helps in making the bigger flame that really heats your home. Although not common, it can happen that this pilot light will go out. In that case, you need to relight it. Check your owner’s manual on how to do it or contact an expert to relight it for you.
• Inspect the ductwork regularly – you need to check the ductwork from time to time to find out if there is any dust or dirt buildup inside. Blocked vents can pose a list of health hazards such as carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Turn off the system after winter – you need to shut the system off after winter. Simultaneously, it’s the best time to clean the furnace and replace the filter. The tips mentioned earlier are best done at the onset of the heating season to ensure your gas furnace is in great shape always.

By simply learning how to troubleshoot a gas furnace, you can avoid bigger and more expensive issues while staying warm and comfortable all winter long.