When the furnace is not kicking on and the house is chilly, there are several reasons why your furnace might not be working correctly. Maintaining your furnace before the cold days arrive is crucial to having a warm home.
At Mission Comfort, we take your warmth seriously and have trained technicians ready to assess your furnace problem and get you back to whole home comfort in no time. Learn more about common furnace problems and how we can keep your heating system in peak working order.
What Is a Furnace
A furnace is a method of heating your home that got its start in early Greece. In that day, a furnace was a clay or stone structure that housed a raging, hot fire used to melt metals and dry clay pottery used as dishes and cups.
Eventually, the clay structure became a metal box that houses a furnace. This box replaced fires in massive fireplaces for heating homes. Today, furnaces run by gas or electricity and are very energy efficient. The modern furnace is safe and effective for providing heat to your home.
How Does a Furnace Work
A furnace forces warm air through vents in your home to keep you comfortable when it is cold outdoors. A gas furnace operates like this:
- Natural gas ignites by the burner.
- The hot flames heat the metal exchanger and exhaust out of the flue.
- The heat exchanger shifts its warmth to the incoming air.
- A blower pushes the warm air through the ducts and through the vents to warm your home.
- An air return pulls the colder air out of the room and returns it to the furnace to be heated again.
An electric furnace works like this:
- An electric furnace pulls air into the heat exchanger.
- In the heat exchanger, the air warms.
- The warm air travels through the air ducts and vents to spill warm air into your home.
- The air returns take the colder air back to the furnace to be warmed, continuing the cycle.
The main difference between the gas and electric furnace is the way each is powered. Otherwise, they operate similarly to maintain the level of warmth you prefer in your home.
Reasons Why Your Furnace Is Not Working
Check the Thermostat:
If you are turning on the heat for the first time of the season, the initial step is to check the thermostat. Next, ensure you set the thermostat to a temperature that will cause it to kick on.
If the furnace is not kicking on, check the sensors on the thermostat for dust that breaks the connection. A programmable thermostat might also show an error.
Check the Blower:
The blower pushes the heat through the ducts and out of the vents. Sometimes, the motor wears down over time, while another reason it is not working is damage from overheating.
Check the Fuse or Circuit Breaker:
An electric furnace can blow a fuse. When the furnace won’t turn on, check the fuse box to see if a fuse is blown. There are several reasons why the connection might be broken, including faulty wiring, worn components, and dirty filters.
Check the Gas Valve:
As a precaution, sometimes a repair service technician turns off the gas valve to the furnace in the summer when you don’t need heat. Check the gas valve and ensure you turn it on, so the furnace gets the gas it needs to operate.
Check the Pilot Light:
Older gas furnaces sometimes have a pilot light that blows out. Check the pilot light to see if it needs to be re-lit. This is a job best left to a professional technician.
Check the Air Filter:
An air filter that is clogged or excessively dirty can also keep the furnace from turning on. When the air cannot come through the filters in the house, the furnace won’t turn on and work properly.
Furnace Maintenance
Having your furnace maintained by Mission Comfort can ensure a high level of indoor comfort in every season. Fine-tuning all the components can keep you from experiencing the stress of the furnace not kicking on when you need heat.
Furnace maintenance is like a tune-up for your car to keep everything working as it should. Our technicians will:
- Inspect and clean the blower
- Check the blower motor for correct operation
- Tighten electrical connections and inspect the wiring
- Check and clean the vent system if needed
- Inspect the heat exchanger for corrosion or moisture
- Check the thermostat for accurate calibration
- Replace the air filters
- Check the safety controls
- Inspect the burner and flame sensor
Routine furnace maintenance gives you extra protection from breakdowns that can end up being costly repairs. When you forget to schedule routine repair and maintenance for your furnace heating system, remember that Mission Comfort has emergency repair services to keep you from staying in a cold home too long.
Best Furnace Repair Services
Avoid the panic when your furnace is not kicking on with exceptional furnace service from Mission Comfort. The team at Mission Comfort will arrive promptly to diagnose your furnace issue and fix it so you can be in warm comfort once more.
We offer 24-hour emergency service for your furnace issues. Day or night, we have technicians who will arrive promptly to assess the problem and get your furnace back in working order. They can help you understand why your furnace is not working properly and recommend a long-term solution, so you don’t have to worry about the house not being warm in the winter.
At Mission Comfort, we know the culprits that can cause your furnace not to kick on. We offer furnace repair to Waldorf, MD, and the surrounding areas with courteous, reliable technicians who take the time to explain the problem with your furnace and the exact repair.
We have a repair for any furnace problem, so don’t sit in the cold and hope the furnace starts working. If your furnace is not kicking on, call (301) 701-3739 today or use our easy online scheduler.
