The Most Common Furnace Problems And How To Fix Them

If your home’s furnace breaks, you won’t be able to heat your home. This winter has been one of the worst in generations, with record-low temperatures being achieved worldwide. It has never been more important to keep your home’s furnace running properly, with this in mind. However, most people have absolutely no knowledge of how furnaces work or how to fix them. If you are one such individual, then this post is for you.

This article will tell you about the most common furnace problems and how to fix them.

Airflow Issues

It’s very common for furnaces to stop working because of airflow issues. If yours has stopped working because your pilot light went out, then airflow issues could be responsible. The most common reason for airflow issues is dirty and clogged air filters. Fortunately, cleaning out your furnace’s air filter is not particularly difficult. You can do it quite easily, with very few tools. Ensure you verify that the cause of your furnace’s issues is a clogged air filter before you tampering around with it. You could make issues worse if that is not the actual problem.

Frozen Pipes

Sometimes, your furnace’s drainage pipe will freeze over in very cold weather. When this happens, the water inside will back up into your furnace and cause it to stop working. This is a problem that a lot of people deal with, but it’s easily fixed. All you have to do is to take your furnace’s drainage pipe out of the wall and put it inside a bucket. Then, once your furnace has drained, turn it back on. Leave the drainage pipe inside of a bucket until the weather has warmed up and your external pipes have thawed.

Low Pressure

It is very common for people to wake up to freezing cold houses because their home’s furnace has low pressure and cannot work properly. Low pressure is an easy fix. It is usually caused by taps that have been left on all night. If you identify low pressure, then get a radiator key and open your radiator’s valve to let the remaining pressure out. Then, under your furnace, turn the black pressure key and let the pressure back in. You only need to do this for a few seconds. If you let too much pressure in, your boiler could break down.

Electrical Faults

If you notice that your furnace doesn’t work properly (and it is powered by electricity) then you need to reach out to a plumber, especially if no error codes are being shown. You should not attempt to make repairs to a furnace if there is an ongoing electrical fault. Any serious electrical faults could cause you to damage your furnace, or injure yourself. Most electrical faults can be resolved on the same day, by a trained electrician. You could also consider hiring a plumber, as they are often qualified to fix electrical furnace problems.

Your home’s furnace is something you always need to keep in working order, especially when you consider the fact that this winter has been colder than any other in recorded history in many parts of the world. You can use this guide’s advice to keep your furnace working. Any other problems not listed here (or anything you are uncertain about) should be brought up with an electrician or plumber.