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Why Won’t My Furnace Turn On?

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Your furnace runs in cycles. After it heats up the home within a target range, it shuts off, only to start up when temperatures in the home start to fall again. So if temperatures are falling lower and lower—68°, 67°, 66°—and they’ve passed the thermostat settings, you should become concerned. The worst thing that can happen with your furnace—aside from a potential safety issue—is that it won’t turn on at all, and you need to act fast. Below, we explain why it may be happening, along with the DIY fixes and what you should always leave to professionals.

Things You Can Check Yourself

First, you should make sure that there is not a simple solution you can deal with on your own. You don’t want to pay for a professional diagnosis only to discover you could have flipped a switch yourself!
  • The Electrical Panel – It’s always a good idea to check the circuit breaker for the furnace. But if your heating system often trips the breaker, you should still call in a professional to check it out.
  • Thermostat Settings – Make sure no one has accidentally switched the thermostat into cooling mode, delayed settings in vacation mode, or made drastic changes to the prescheduled temperature.
  • Power to the Unit – Gas valves must be open, the thermostat must have batteries, and the furnace has to be powered on for everything to work properly. If you have an older furnace, you may need to check the pilot light (modern-day furnaces use electronic ignition instead).

Common Furnace Issues

There are many things that may cause your furnace to shut down or not to turn on at all. But for your safety and peace of mind, you should always leave that diagnosis up to a trained technician. Here are some examples of issues that a technician may find:
  • Faulty safety switch.
  • Faulty or dirty flame sensor.
  • Electronic ignition issues.
  • Broken thermostat.
  • Broken blower motor.
  • Worn fan belt.
  • Wear and tear (old age).

For all of your heating needs in Blaine, MN, trust the experts at Air Mechanical, Inc.

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