When your furnace won’t start, doing your own furnace repair in South Beloit and Belvidere, Illinois, can feel overwhelming.

Figuring out a furnace-related problem might feel like a challenging task when your heat won’t turn on. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There are a couple of fast, reasonable fixes you can do by yourself to skip a furnace repair call.

If your furnace won’t turn on, won’t stay on or won’t ignite, try the troubleshooting list below before getting in touch with an HVAC professional.

If you find you need help from a heating and cooling expert and live in South Beloit and Belvidere, Fleming Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can provide assistance to you. We can repair most types of heating systems and also provide emergency furnace repair.

If it’s time for a new heating system, we also do furnace installation.

While you’re chatting with us, think over a routine furnace maintenance plan that might help you avoid repairs in the future. We can tell you how frequently your furnace should be inspected by one of our NATE-certified professionals.

Use our easy guide below to get to work on troubleshooting your furnace. Most of these steps don’t require mechanical know-how.

Furnace Repair Checklist

1. Check the Thermostat

To start, make sure your thermostat is telling your furnace to turn on.

Digital Thermostat

Replace the batteries if the screen is blank. If the digital screen is jumbled, the thermostat may need to be replaced.

Make sure the switch is set to “heat” as opposed to “off” or “cool.”

Ensure the program is set to the appropriate day and time and is set to “run.” If you’re having trouble overriding the program, set the temperature by using the up/down arrows and press the “hold” button. This will make the furnace to start if thermostat programming is causing a problem.

Increase the temperature setting to 5 degrees warmer than the room temperature.

If your furnace hasn’t started within several minutes, make sure it has power by toggling the fan switch from “auto” to “on.” If the fan doesn’t run, your furnace might not have power.

Smart Thermostat

If you have a smart thermostat—like one made by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch—troubleshooting is very model-specific. Take a look at the manufacturer’s website for help. If you still can’t get your Wi-Fi thermostat to work, call us at 877-389-2465 for heating and cooling service.

2. Examine Breakers and Switches

Next, you will need to check if your breaker and furnace switch are on.

Find your house’s main electrical panel. If you aren’t sure where it is, keep an eye out for a gray metal box in your basement, garage or closet.

Make sure your hands and feet are dry before touching the panel or breakers.

Find the breaker labeled “furnace” or “heat,” and make sure it’s switched “on.” If the breaker has tripped, it will be in the middle or “off” position.

Using one hand, firmly switch the breaker to the “on” position. If the breaker immediately trips and pops back to “off,” don’t try to reset it and get in touch with a professional from Fleming Heating & Air Conditioning Inc at 877-389-2465 right away.

It doesn’t matter how old your furnace is or what brand it is, it has at least one standard wall switch located on or near it.

Make sure the switch is flipped up in the “on” position. If it was turned off, anticipate your furnace could take up to five minutes to start. (If you don’t know where to find your furnace, look in your basement, garage or utility closet. It could also be in a crawl space or attic.)

3. Replace the Air Filter

When it comes to furnace problems, a grungy, clogged air filter is frequently to blame.

If your filter is too dirty:

  • Your furnace won’t stay on, or it could overheat from limited airflow.
  • Your energy bills could be higher because your furnace is turning on more than it should.
  • Your furnace could stop working sooner than it should because a dirty filter causes it to overwork.
  • Your furnace can be cut off from power if an overly dirty filter causes the breaker to trip.

Depending on what make of furnace you have, your air filter will be inside the blower compartment of your furnace, an attached filter case or wall-mounted return air grille.

To replace your filter:

  1. Turn off your furnace.
  2. Remove the filter and angle it toward the light. If you can’t see light through it, replace it.
  3. Install the new filter with the arrow pointing toward the furnace to avoid damage.

Flat filters should be replaced every month, while pleated filters should last about three months. You can also use a washable filter that will last about 10 years. If you have children or pets, you may have to replace your filter more often.

To make the process go more quickly in the future, use a permanent marker on your furnace housing or ductwork to show the airflow direction and filter size.

4. Inspect the Condensate Pan

Also known as drain pans, condensate pans hold water your furnace pulls from the air.

If water is seeping out of your furnace or its pan has standing water in it, follow these steps.

  • If your pan has a drain (look for a PVC pipe), check that it isn’t full. If it needs to be drained, use a special pan-cleaning tablet you can purchase at home improvement or hardware stores.
  • If your pan has a pump, inspect the float switch. If the switch is stuck “up” with water in the pan, contact us at 877-389-2465, because you will probably need a new pump.

5. Check for Furnace Error Codes

If malfunctions continue, peek inside your furnace’s plastic window to confirm the status of the blower motor. Depending on the model, the light could also be attached on the outside of your furnace.

If you see anything except a steady, colored light or blinking green light, call us at 877-389-2465 for HVAC service. Your furnace may be communicating an error code that requires professional help.

6. Clean the Flame Sensor

If your furnace tries to start but switches off without distributing heat, a dirty flame sensor could be to blame. When this takes place, your furnace will attempt to start three times before a safety feature shuts it down for about an hour.

If you feel comfortable with opening up your furnace, cleaning your flame sensor is something you can do on your own. Or, one of our heating service professionals can do it for you.

If you want to clean the sensor yourself, you’ll need:

  • A 1/4” hex screwdriver or wrench
  • Piece of light grit sandpaper, steel wool or emery cloth
  • A dry, clean paper towel

Next:

  • Turn off the furnace’s power by using its wall switch or breaker. If your gas valve is not electric, you will need to shut off the gas as well.
  • Take off the furnace’s front panel and trace the wire to the flame sensor.
  • Unscrew the rod and use your sandpaper, steel wool or emery cloth to gently rub the metal rod.
  • Wipe off the rod with a paper towel.
  • Remount the sensor.
  • Replace the furnace doors.
  • Turn the furnace’s power back on. It could run through a set of checks before resuming normal operation. If your furnace doesn’t start, the sensor may need to be replaced or something else could be wrong. If this happens, get in touch with us at 877-389-2465 for heating and cooling repair assistance.

7. Relight the Pilot Light

If you have an older furnace, the pilot light could be out. To relight it, find the instructions on a label on your furnace, or follow these steps.

  • Find the switch on the bottom of your furnace labeled “pilot,” “on” and “off.”
  • Turn the switch to the “off” position.
  • Wait at least five minutes to avoid possibly starting a fire.
  • Turn the knob to “pilot.”
  • Hold down the “reset” button as you bring the flame of a long lighter to the pilot light opening.
  • Release the “reset” button once the pilot light is lit.

If you have followed the instructions twice and the pilot light still won’t light or stay lit, get in touch with us at 877-389-2465 for furnace service.

Check Your Fuel Source

Try using another gas appliance. If it doesn’t work, your natural gas service could be turned off, or you could be out of propane.

We Can Help with HVAC Repair

Followed our troubleshooting guide but your furnace still won’t work?

Call us today at 877-389-2465 or contact us online. We’ll come out and figure out the problem.

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