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What to Do When Your Furnace Stops Working in the Middle of Winter

In the middle of winter no one wants to wake up to a cold house and a broken furnace. That is homeowners’ worst nightmare. The fact is though, it happens. KCI Homes finds that its better that you know what to do ahead of time so that there is no panic. It will also help you to get it up and running as soon as possible. Here are some of the things that you will want to look for and do if you wake up to a cold house.

Thermostat

This is the first place that you check when you wake up to a cold house. Often there might be nothing wrong with the furnace itself. You will want to make sure it is set to “heat” and not “cool”. It is easy to bump and change on accident. If it is set to heat though, you will want to bump it up about 5 degrees to see if it will cause the furnace to kick on. If you are still getting nothing, then open the thermostat and blow off any dust and debris gently. Check to make sure that there are not any loose wires.

Furnace

When it comes to the furnace, it can be easy to accidently turn it off. The switch looks like a regular wall switch so it is easy to mistake. Just make sure that the switch is flipped on. Also make sure that your gas valve is on. Your furnace needs gas to be able to burn. If these are both on, then it is time to go onto the next step.

If you have recently had work on it or someone recently opened its paneling, then they may have not put it back on fully. Without the paneling tightly and securely on it will not allow the blower motor to start up. This is a safety feature. But it can easily make it look like your furnace just quit on you.

However, if no one opened the furnace paneling then you will want to go straight to checking and changing your air filters. To do this you need to shut of the furnace and thermostat. From there you can open where the filters are placed and see if they are dirty. A furnace will shut itself off if it is not getting enough airflow causing it to run for too long and overheat. Dirty filters restrict the amount of airflow you get so its important that you replace them at least every three months.

Air Ducts

You may find that there are some rooms that are warm and others that are not. When it comes to this problem, inspect all your air ducts. Make sure that there are not gaps where the air can escape and that the dampers are wide open.

If you still cannot find the issue than it means its time to call the repair guy. Unfortunately, these things happen over time. If your home is getting older than you would like it to be and you are having to repair, it more and more then it might be time to look at buying a new home. KCI Homes stands behind its work. Look at the homes we have available today!

By KCI Homes 1-26-2021