Winter has just begun, but chances are you’re using your furnace every day. And of all the appliance repair needs you might have in your home throughout the course of a year, few are more concerning or frustrating than a broken down furnace in the middle of winter. After all, when you live where we do, a fully effective and efficient heater isn’t just a luxury, it’s a vital necessity.
Of course, the best way to prevent any surprise furnace repair in Northbrook, IL, the first step is to schedule routine maintenance in the fall. Haven’t scheduled your tune-up yet? Don’t worry, it’s not too late! Yes, it’s most convenient for you to schedule it in the fall, but it’s actually more important that you have it done consistently—once a year to be exact. Next, you’ll want to make sure that any repair needs that you’re alerted to during maintenance are addressed right away. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing one of the two following midwinter furnace woes:
Your Furnace Won’t Start
There are a few reasons this might happen, with some being more serious than others. For example, it’s possible that there isn’t a problem with your heater at all, but rather with your thermostat. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a huge problem at all!
So first, check your thermostat. Is it in heating mode? This may sound like an obvious suggestion, but bear with us. This mistake has been made before! If this is not the case in your situation though, it could still be the thermostat, but the problem might be frayed and broken wiring. Turn off the thermostat at the circuit breaker and then check for frayed wiring. Call our pros if you notice any.
One more reason a furnace might not start is because of a lack of electrical power. You might have a tripped circuit breaker, or there may be a power outage in your neighborhood. If your system is gas-powered, then you may be looking at a pilot light that has gone out. Though do keep in mind that even gas-powered heaters use an electric ignitor, so the problem may still be electrical.
So what if it’s none of the above mentioned issues? You might have a more serious problem on your hands, then. Hopefully, you did have maintenance done before the season began, but either way, this means it’s time to call in a pro!
Your Furnace Won’t Stop
So, what happens if your furnace started up fine, but it’s not stopping? This may seem like a minor issue on the coldest day of the year, but it’s detrimental to the efficiency of your furnace, and can be damaging to the system itself.
This is another case where you may be dealing with a thermostat problem. A malfunctioning thermostat might not be able to accurately signal to the furnace that your desired temperature is being met and that it’s time to shut off.
One more possibility is that you have the thermostat set too high, and your furnace keeps running in an attempt to reach that desired temperature, but isn’t able to do so. This can also be the case if the air filter is too dirty and clogged. Make sure you’re changing your air filter out every 1–3 months!