How to check if your furnace is working

Checking to make sure your furnace is working properly is fairly easy – if you know what you’re doing. Here is our step-by-step guide to help you check if your furnace is working:

  1. Ensure Thermostat is turned up.
  2. Inspect lower door panel on exterior of furnace, can you see any flashing lights? If so, record number of flashes. Consult door panel trouble shooting guide. This may save you some steps. If not follow below for basic trouble shooting guide.
  3. Re-set furnace switch, usually located on roof above furnace.
  4. Main inducer fan should come on first.
  5. Igniter area should start to glow in after 20-30 seconds.
  6. Burners should light.
  7. After about 30 seconds blower should start running.

This is the basic sequence of operation on most residential gas furnaces. Here are some common problems:

Q: I have power to my furnace and my thermostat is turned all the way up, nothing is happening?
A: It is most likely a 3 AMP fuse on your control board.
Q: My inducer motor is running and running and then nothing else happens, then it shuts off?
A: It is probable that your igniter has cracked in half and will not light the burner.
Q: My furnace lights, and then goes out after a few seconds?
A: You have a dirty flame probe, it needs to be cleaned.
Q: My furnace lights and then goes out after about a minute?
A: Did your main blower come on? Is your filter plugged? There is no air flow across the furnace! It is either a bad motor or a plugged filter.

We hope this helped! Please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you would like us to get your heat going!