Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Tips for Your Home
It’s that time of year again when people start turning on their furnaces for the season! After you’ve scheduled your furnace inspection and tune-up in Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean County, New Jersey, there are some gas furnace troubleshooting tips you might want to look at to prepare your home (and your heating system) for the winter ahead.
Our Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Tips
How to Turn on Your Furnace
This is actually pretty simple because everything is controlled by your thermostat. All you have to do is switch the mode from COOL or OFF to HEAT, and the thermostat will automatically shut off your air conditioner and start up your furnace.
Changing Your Air Filters
This is one of the most important gas furnace troubleshooting tips we can offer, and not to mention one of the easiest. All you need to do is open the access door on your furnace and locate the filter inside. You should be replacing this filter every one to three months, depending on how often you’re running your furnace. This will maximize your energy efficiency and minimize the risk of breakdowns or damage to your furnace.
Testing Your Furnace’s Airflow
Testing your furnace’s airflow is actually a lot easier than it sounds. Simply walk around the house while the furnace is running and put your hand over your registers (or vents) to check for airflow. If you don’t feel any warm air coming from the registers, check to see if anything is blocking them. If there doesn’t seem to be anything blocking the registers, contact Arctic Air Conditioning—we can make sure nothing is going wrong in your furnace, such as a broken blower fan.
Preventing Heat Loss and Inefficiency
As far as gas furnace troubleshooting tips are concerned, there are a few things you can do to improve energy efficiency and decrease the likelihood of heat loss in your system. To start, you can check all your ductwork for any leaks or gaps. An easy way to do this is to shine a flashlight into your ducts and see if any light escapes from the outside of the ducts. If you’re unsure what to look for, contact our HVAC professionals to assess the efficiency of your ductwork. You can also add weather stripping to windows and doors and caulk any air leaks in your home.
What to Do When You Smell Gas
Although this doesn’t fall under the category of “gas furnace troubleshooting tips” so much as it does “home safety tips,” it’s still vitally important. If you ever smell gas in your home, particularly if it’s coming from your furnace, evacuate immediately and call 911, your gas company and Arctic Air Conditioning—in that order. A large concentration of gas in your home is incredibly dangerous and can lead to serious home damages or injury if not handled properly. Do not light matches or use any electrical equipment until you are safely away from the house.
Learn More Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Tips
If you want to learn more about firing up your gas furnace for the first time this season and improving its overall performance, contact Arctic Air Conditioning today! Our highly trained and experienced gas furnace experts can help you ensure your home and heating system are both ready for the season ahead.
