Common Reasons Your Furnace Isn’t Working

Several issues could be preventing your furnace from working correctly. Three common problems are dirty air filters, clogged pilot light orifices and improperly adjusted gas valve settings. Difficulty reaching the pilot light can also cause furnace problems. https://www.youtube.com/embed/nafQQFYwFJM

Furnace Cleaning Tips

Clean your furnace air filter regularly to keep your home safe from dangerous particles in the air. The type of filter you need depends on your home’s size and the kind of system you have installed. Coarse filters trap particles as small as a grain of salt or more extensive, while fine particle filters work to remove smaller dust particles from the air flowing through ducts throughout your home. As often as once every six months, vacuum the grilles located at each vent in your home.

Furnace Problems Due To Dirt And Dust

Air filters do an excellent job of removing dust and debris from the air flowing through ducts in homes with forced-air heating and cooling systems. However, if your filter is clogged or dirty, your system could be experiencing many problems. If the fan isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air into the furnace, it can’t circulate enough heat for your system to work effectively. Dirty filters also often cause problems with blower motors because they keep them from working at optimal capacity.

Furnace won’t turn on – Filters that are too dirty will prevent airflow through the venting system and prevent the fan relays from allowing power to reach furnace components.
Furnace makes a loud noise – When airflow is restricted, furnaces have to work harder and usually emit a more audible operation sound. If the blower motor isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air through ducts or if too much dust has built up on fan blades, you’ll probably hear a rattling or grinding noise coming from your furnace.
Furnace heat doesn’t reach rooms – Dirt-covered filters can also restrict airflow throughout the venting system of forced-air heating systems. A restricted flow will give off insufficient heat for some rooms in your home. Your entire system could be suffering from inadequate heat output because it’s not delivering any warmth at all.

An air filter should never be allowed to become completely obstructed because the restricted airflow will prevent your furnace from operating at maximum efficiency.

Furnace Problems From Undersized Air Filters

If you’ve recently installed a new air filter and notice that your furnace is having problems, it could be because the new filter is too coarse for your particular system. If the airflow in ducts connected to the furnace is restricted because of an oversized or undersized air filter, you could experience any number of issues, including:

Furnace doesn’t turn on – If clogged filters aren’t allowing enough airflow into your system to power components, they can fail to operate correctly. When this happens, there’s no heat coming from vents throughout your home.
The dusty smell when using heater – Breathing dirty or dusty air isn’t healthy, but it can also produce an unpleasant or irritating odor. If you notice a dusty or oily smell coming from your vents whenever the furnace is running, it’s because there’s a buildup of dust and debris on components throughout your system.
Furnace makes a loud noise – A fan that isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air through ducts can cause a rattling or grinding sound whenever your heat turns on. You might also hear this type of noise when the blower motor doesn’t have sufficient power to push air as quickly as needed through ducts.

Furnace Problems From Blocked Pilot Light Orifices

If you have a gas-powered furnace, clogged pilot light holes could be causing persistent problems with your system. If the air openings leading to pilot burners get too dirty, they can restrict airflow and prevent a successful startup or flame from staying lit.

Furnace won’t turn on – When airflow is restricted, furnaces have to work harder and usually emit a louder operation sound. If the blower motor isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air through ducts or if too much dust has built up on fan blades, you’ll probably hear a rattling or grinding noise coming from your furnace.
Furnace heat doesn’t reach rooms – Dirt-covered filters can also restrict airflow throughout the venting system of forced-air heating systems. A restricted flow will give off insufficient heat for rooms in your home. Your entire system could be suffering from inadequate heat output because it’s not delivering any warmth at all.

An air filter should never be allowed to become completely obstructed because the restricted airflow will prevent your furnace from operating at maximum efficiency.

Furnace Problems From Undersized Air Filters

The furnace doesn’t turn on – The blower motor isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air through ducts, can cause a rattling or grinding sound whenever your heat turns on. You might also hear this type of noise when the blower motor doesn’t have enough power to push air through ducts quickly.
The dusty smell when using heater – Breathing dirty or dusty air isn’t healthy, but it can also produce an unpleasant or irritating odor. If you notice a dusty or oily smell coming from your vents whenever the furnace is running, it’s because there’s a buildup of dust and debris on components throughout your system.
Furnace makes a loud noise – A fan that isn’t spinning fast enough to pull air through ducts can cause a rattling or grinding sound whenever your heat turns on. You might also hear this type of noise when the blower motor doesn’t have enough power to push air through ducts quickly. <– Possible cause of the furnace not turning on is a dirty filter. If there’s too much dust in it, it’ll be restricting airflow and preventing your heat from working at maximum efficiency. So when you replace the old filter with a new one, make sure that it has a clean surface for the air to flow onto to work correctly, or else this may happen again if your replacement was just another dirty filter.
Furnace noise is loudest in certain rooms – Undersized filters restrict airflow between heating system components and venting systems, which can create excessive noise levels throughout different areas of your home. In some cases, homeowners complain about the noise coming from their furnace or air ducts when the blower motor doesn’t have sufficient power to push air as quickly through ducts.

Furnace Problems From Dirty Thermostats

When furnace problems persist, homeowners often replace worn-out heating system components that are defective or underperforming. One of the most commonly replaced parts is an ageing thermostat on older furnaces because it’s labelled as faulty by the manufacturer. If you’re replacing your dirty thermostat with a brand new one, you need to understand how cleanliness affects its performance.

Before changing out your old thermostat for a new one, ensure that there was no damage to its circuitry board before closing up your access panel and turning on your new thermostat. Dirt can accumulate inside of thermostats, which may cause them to malfunction or fail.

If your new thermostat was plugged in after it was installed and experienced the same issue you had with your old one, it could be because dirt accumulated inside of the thermostat’s casing. To prevent this problem from happening again, clean out old thermostats with a vacuum cleaner before closing up access panels.

Furnace Problems From Dirty Ductwork Wiring Connections

One of the most obvious warning signs that dust has built up within heating ducts is when airflow throughout your entire system decreases dramatically. Unfortunately, homeowners typically overlook dirty filters on forced-air furnaces until many years of dirt and debris have been allowed to build up inside each heating component. While dirty filters restrict airflow between furnace blower motors and heating system components, they’re what enable your HVAC system to work correctly.

One of the main reasons homeowners don’t want to replace dirty filters is that doing so requires them to remove their access panel. So you need to periodically clean out any obstructions that might be preventing proper airflow through your ductwork. To prevent dust accumulation in your heating system, install cold-air return units properly within indoor air vents.

Blower Motor Probably Needs Cleaning If Your Furnace Stops Working

If you notice dust accumulation on or around fan blades inside of the furnace compartment, clear it away with a vacuum cleaner for improved performance. Both old and new furnaces require regular maintenance to run productively throughout the year. If your HVAC system is over 15 years old and hasn’t been adequately maintained, it might require more than just a standard cleaning. While you can usually get away with an annual furnace tune-up for older systems, newer furnaces need to be professionally cleaned by licensed heating technicians at least twice per year.

Dirty filters are the primary reason why homeowners notice noisy heating systems this time of year. A dirty blower motor restricts airflow to different parts of your ductwork, which can create noticeable noise problems throughout your home or business. Still, other components inside their forced-air furnaces may also cause excessive noise levels if they’re not routinely maintained.

Learn About Your Specifications When You Call For Furnace Repair

If you have a gas or oil furnace that’s not blowing out hot air, your problem might be caused by dirty fan blades inside the blower motor housing. To resolve this issue, turn off your heating system and remove its access panel so you can vacuum around the components to get rid of all of the built-up dust. Instead of using general house cleaning products inside your forced-air furnace, contact us for more information about our detailed furnace repair service throughout Boca Raton today! While some homeowners are tempted to use spray lubricants on their furnaces, doing so only causes problems because it dries out after a short period.