• Motorized equipment, like your heating system, requires regular adjustments, burner cleaning, parts replacement, repairs, venting inspection, and other checks. Licensed experts know your equipment and the necessary codes to follow.
• Your contractor can help make your equipment operate with peak efficiency, last longer, and save you money year after year.
• Find Local Heating & Cooling Pros. Get Up to 4 Quotes Now. It's Quick, Free, and Easy!

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Furnace Inspection Troubleshooting & Servicing

If you have a gas furnace and you smell gas:

Do not try to fix it yourself.

Open windows and get out of the house. Take children and pets with you.

Do not turn on lights or switches.

Call the gas company from a neighbor's house or a cell phone outside the house.

Do not return to the house until a professional has examined your home.

Preventing Carbon Monoxide

Prevention is the only way to deal with carbon monoxide, and the best prevention is regular inspection by a service technician.

An appliance could produce carbon monoxide if: 

    Boxes, laundry or other materials are blocking the base, restricting oxygen flow.

   The vent hood, pipes or flues are blocked or corroded.

   The unit is installed or adjusted improperly.

   It's used incorrectly (i.e., heating a room with a gas stove).

   The heat exchanger is cracked.

Natural gas furnaces should be inspected every year; other appliances, such as water heaters, clothes dryers and stoves, should be checked every two years. If you have a natural gas fireplace, it should be serviced regularly as well.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

If you have natural gas appliances, a carbon monoxide detector is a must for keeping your family safe.

These devices work like smoke detectors, sounding an audible alarm if a certain level of carbon monoxide (CO) is detected.

If there's no heat coming from your vents, check the following possibilities

Check the pilot light to make sure it's lit. You may need to relight it.

Make sure the thermostat is set to heat. Set the temperature higher than the actual room temperature. This will kick start your gas furnace on and will begin to warm your home. Also check the emergency switch to make sure that it is on.

Check your fuse box to see if any circuit breakers are flipped the wrong way or to make sure a fuse hasn't blown. Reset the circuit breaker or change the fuse if need be.

Make sure the furnace is turned on. Look for the power button.

Reset the blower motor. The motor may have overheated, so wait a few minutes and try resetting it again if the motor does not start up.

Check the thermostat to make sure it is on and is set for at least three degrees hotter than the registered room temperature.

   

If all these steps don't work, call a professional HVAC technician for a service check.

If heat is coming from the vent, but not enough heat, try the following

Check the thermostat to make sure it is set to the right temperature.

Check the heating registers - make sure they are open and nothing is obstructing them.

Check the filter. Change it if it's dirty.

If these steps don't help, call a professional HVAC technician and ask him or her to check the blower and the overall system.

If the motor is running, but you can't feel any air moving

The belt that connects the motor to the blower may be broken.

If you feel confident changing a belt yourself, you can do so (check your manufacturer's specifications in the owner's manual), but call a HVAC technician if you are not comfortable taking this on yourself.

If the furnace keeps cycling on and off repeatedly

Try cleaning the filter.

Call a technician to see if it's a thermostat or furnace problem.

Watch to see if the room temperature is vacillating significantly. This also indicates a thermostat or heat anticipator problem.

    Ace Pleated Furnace Air Filter - 12 Pack 

If your furnace blower is constantly blowing air

Make sure the switch is not on "fan". Switch it to "auto" and see if that fixes the problem.
The limit switch may need adjusting. Your technician can show you how to adjust that.

If the furnace squeals

A belt that connects the motor to the fan may have slipped or may need to be repaired.

If the furnace is rattling

Check the registers and make sure the panels are screwed on tight.

Ask your HVAC technician to insert flexible, soft ductwork so the metal ducts won't make so much noise. Metal ducts can be very noisy.

Call a professional if the troubleshooting techniques don't work.

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What's checked in a furnace maintenance check? - Your licensed contractor typically inspects

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Plug in a carbon monoxide / gas detector near your gas furnace.

Your heating contractor is your connection to answers

Ask your contractor

• What regular maintenance your natural gas heating system needs and what it includes .
• What maintenance or heating protection programs they offer .
• How you can maximize your system's efficiency.