How To Clean The Burners On A Gas Furnace
If your furnace doesn't heat or works poorly, this adept DIY guide volition help y'all troubleshoot and fix typical problems.
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If your dwelling house is heated with a forced-air heating system, a furnace or a heat pump is the heater at the heart of information technology. Here we look at how to handle furnace problems from a furnace working poorly to a heater not working at all. For heat pump problems, see Rut Pump Troubleshooting & Repairs.
Though forced-air furnaces are normally quite reliable, they can break down. To avoid suspension downs, it pays to know how to maintain your furnace and fix it when something goes wrong.
Inevitably, a furnace stops working when y'all need it most. Consequently, fixing becomes urgent very speedily.
The following instructions volition aid you lot do the fixing—or at least effigy out what needs to exist fixed. With a little do-it-yourself experience and the proper guidance, you tin troubleshoot and repair a diverseness of furnace problems yourself.
The video that follows shows how a furnace works, as well as some of the DIY repairs yous tin can handle. The voiceover is a bit robotic, but the data is solid.
General Furnace Maintenance
For starters, in one case a year, vacuum out the area around the furnace's blower.
If possible, also slide out the fan unit of measurement, clean each fan blade with a toothbrush, and and so vacuum with a castor zipper on a vacuum cleaner.
While you're at it, look for oil ports on the motor, normally located nearly the motor shaft. If the motor has these, employ 2 to three drops of not-detergent motor oil into each port (you may accept to remove a cover plate to exercise this). Though most contemporary motors don't require lubrication, motors with oil ports should be lubricated once a year. For more about maintenance, see Maintenance Checklist for Central Heating Systems.
The information in the post-obit manufactures is for fixing some of the most common types of furnace bug. Note: If these repairs look to be beyond your abilities, phone call a qualified HVAC repair person.
Gas Leak
If you lot suspect a furnace gas leak, deal with this immediately!
Kickoff, if y'all aroma natural gas in your home or most the furnace, do not light any matches or plough off or on any switches . If the gas odor is strong, immediately evacuate your house, leaving the door open up.
Turn off the gas supply valve, typically located by your gas meter on the gas inlet pipe.
Turn off the gas by rotating the valve one quarter plow with an adjustable wrench.
When the gas is off, the valve'due south ellipsoidal stem points perpendicular to the inlet pipe. Then call your gas utility or the burn department from a remote location. Do non return to your home until you know it is safety.
Furnace Not Working—No Gas Flame
Older gas and combustion-fuel furnaces have pilot lights, whereas some newer ones accept electronic ignition.
How to Relight a Pilot Calorie-free and Bank check Thermocouple
If your furnace's pilot light has gone out, hither is a typical sequence for relighting a pilot low-cal:
- 1. Turn off the gas shut-off valve.
- 2. Look 5 minutes for gas to clear.
- three. Locate the airplane pilot light under the gas valve.
- 4. Turn the gas valve to "Pilot."
- five. Push the knob downward to commencement the flow of gas to the pilot and hold it downward.
- 6. Using an extended lighter, reach into the access and light the airplane pilot. Don't release the button yet.
- 7. Hold downwards the knob or button for about 1 minute, and then, slowly release it and make sure the airplane pilot flame stays lit.
- 8. Plow the furnace'due south gas valve to "On."
- nine. Put the access door dorsum in identify.
If the flame doesn't stay lit, repeat the process.If the pilot low-cal won't stay lit, the thermocouple may be loose or faulty, the airplane pilot orifice may exist clogged, the pilot'south flame may be fix as well low, or the safety cutoff valve may be lacking.
The thermocouple is a copper rod that the pilot flame heats-upwards. When information technology gets hot enough, the thermocouple signals that there is enough heat to burn the gas fuel being released into the appliance—and so it allows the gas to be released to the burners. In some cases where the airplane pilot light won't stay lit, the thermocouple needs to be adapted or replaced. This is mostly a job for a professional.
Yous can clear a clogged orifice with a slice of thin wire. Before doing this, plow off the gas to the furnace. Also shut off the switch or circuit billow that controls power to the furnace. So, just poke the thin wire into the tiny orifice where the airplane pilot flame normally burns to knock out whatsoever debris.
Some pilot lights have a flame adjustment screw. Refer to your owner's manual, but usually adjusting this just ways turning the flame adjustment screw to achieve a full, steady 1 1/two-inch to two-inch flame with no yellow in it.
HomeTips Pro Tip: By doing your own modest furnace repairs, you lot can save money and also get your dwelling house heated up much faster than if you had to schedule and wait for a repair person.
Your gas- or oil-burning furnace must receive fuel to work. With a gas-fired furnace, be certain the valve on the gas pipage is turned on (the lug or handle should exist in line with the gas pipe). With an oil furnace, check the fuel supply.
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• Furnace Thermocouples
• Thermostats
• Furnace Filters
• Furnace Motors
Electronic Ignition Furnace
On an electronic-ignition furnace, turn down the thermostat or turn the power switch off and then on again to reset the ignition command module. Listen for the sound of the spark or sentinel for the hot surface ignitor to glow (encounter your owner's manual).
Side by side check and make clean the furnace'southward flame sensor.
This video below shows you how—note that this guy fixes it in about 5 minutes. Nosotros would probably employ a picayune bit of emory paper, but he cleans the sensor with a v-dollar bill. Another video further downwards the page under the discussion of "If your furnace keeps shutting off after near 5 minutes" shows the same project with a different brand of furnace.
If your furnace has a pilot light, wait for the flame. Check your owner'due south manual or the instructions posted inside the furnace chiffonier for footstep-by-step lighting instructions. Unremarkably this involves get-go turning the gas valve to Off and waiting a couple of minutes. Then yous turn information technology to Pilot. Adjacent, press and hold it down while you light the flame. Final, expect a minute or then, release it, and so turn it to On.
If the furnace won't light or ignites but fails over again, telephone call a furnace repair technician.
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Heating or Cycling Bug
If your furnace runs and provides some heat but not enough
1 Be sure zero is blocking the flow of warm air, including drapes, piece of furniture, and the like.
2 Be sure the thermostat is set properly to "Heat" and the fan is set to "On" or "Car." Then try raising the fix temperature 5 degrees and waiting a few minutes to make sure the thermostat is turning on the estrus.
three Be sure the room heating registers are open.
four Bank check the filter. Considering a dirty filter can reduce efficiency, replace it with a new air filter if information technology's dingy. See How to Replace a Furnace, AC, or Rut Pump Filter.
5 Get help. Final, if these elementary steps don't work, have a furnace repair technician check out your organization because either the blower isn't working properly or the organisation is out of balance.
If your furnace does not heat at all
Thermostat malfunctions crusade about heating system failures. Other causes include a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse, or—in the case of combustion furnaces—a pilot lite that has gone out. If the heat doesn't come on even when you adjust the thermostat above room temperature:
1 Be sure the heater'due south thermostat is set up to "Heat" (if yours is a heating and cooling system).
2 Check the electrical circuit. Exist sure the furnace's circuit billow is on or that its fuse has non blown. Check both the primary electrical console and any secondary subpanels that supply ability to the unit.
If the excursion has diddled or tripped, reset the circuit billow by flipping it all the way off and then on again. Or supersede the fuse. If the excursion blows over again, there is probably a brusque in the electrical organization providing power to the furnace. For this, you may need to call an electrical contractor.
3 Be sure the furnace's power switch is turned on. Look for the switch adjacent to or within the furnace cabinet. If information technology isn't on, turn it on, and await for the furnace to appoint.
iv Reset the blower motor. The motor may need to be reset because of an overload. Look for a Reset button near the blower motor's housing and, if you find one, press it. If zippo happens, wait almost thirty minutes for the motor to cool, and then endeavour the Reset push button again.
5 Turn off the power to the furnace at the main electric console or subpanel. Look for a fuse in the power switch. If 1 exists, run across if it has diddled. Replace the fuse (exist sure to follow the instructions in your possessor's manual). If you don't accept an owner's manual or are unclear nigh what it will take to do this, call a furnace repair technician.
6 Check the airplane pilot light. With a gas furnace, the pilot light may have gone out or the gas valve may be shut off. Bank check the furnace's ignition.
seven Test the thermostat. If the furnace still doesn't piece of work, be certain the thermostat isn't faulty. Meet How to Test a Thermostat.
Browse Helpful Items on Amazon
• Furnace Thermocouples
• Thermostats
• Furnace Filters
• Furnace Motors
If your furnace cycles on and off too often
The problem is oft with the thermostat—especially if you have a combustion furnace. For information on how to solve and repair this problem, see Thermostat Repairs.
If your thermostat has a minor lever that moves along a calibrated scale that indicates "longer" (not the estrus temperature lever), you tin can try adjusting this—the heat anticipator. Just set it one calibration marker closer to the "longer" setting if the furnace goes off and on too frequently or one marking abroad if the furnace allows room temperature to ascent too high or drop too low before going on or off. It may have several hours for the thermostat to stabilize at this setting, so await a while and so suit it again if necessary.
If making these adjustments doesn't solve the trouble, consider replacing your thermostat. When an electric-resistance furnace or estrus pump turns off and on too frequently, the problem may be that the unit of measurement is overheating because of a clogged filter or a blower that is malfunctioning. Start try cleaning or replacing the filter.
If none of these measures do the trick, call an HVAC professional.
If your furnace keeps shutting off afterward about 5 minutes
Does your furnace start and then close off afterwards a few minutes? This often indicates a trouble with a faulty or dirty flame sensor. The video here shows how to deal with this trouble:
Furnace Does Non Blow Air
If your furnace'due south motor runs but the blower doesn't move air, the belt that connects the two probably has broken. Replacing it is an easy prepare.
- Plow off all ability to the unit of measurement and turn off the gas at the gas valve that serves the furnace.
- Remove the door on the front of the furnace cabinet to give you access to the blower (information technology might be on a slide-out drawer.)
- Cheque the number stamped on the belt and get an exact replacement from a dwelling house middle or heating supply outlet.
- Yous can usually slip the belt on the motor'south (smaller) pulley first and and so first information technology on the blower pulley. Rotate the blower pulley by hand, holding the chugalug in identify but keeping your fingers from getting caught between the chugalug and the pulley. The chugalug should sideslip correct into place.
- Arrange the motor mountain. If it seems to be too tight or difficult to set in place, it may be necessary to adjust the motor mount to provide more slack.
6. Then you can re-tighten the tension once the chugalug is in place. Check the manufacturer's specifications for proper tension—in most cases, the belt should deflect about an inch when you press down on information technology.
7. Lubricate if necessary. Finally, some fan motors and fans need oiling; some have sealed bearings. If recommended by your maintenance manual, oil the bearings co-ordinate to the manufacturer'south directions.
Blower Runs Continuously
Ii things tin can cause a blower to run continuously: the room thermostat or the limit switch located on the furnace just below the plenum (the box that distributes heated air to all the ducts). The limit switch shuts off the furnace if the air in the plenum gets likewise hot.
Check the thermostat to encounter if the Fan switch has been turned on. If it has, turn it to Off or to Automobile. If it is set to Off or Auto, the furnace's limit switch must be adjusted.
Call a furnace repair technician to adjust the limit switch, or follow the instructions in your owner'south manual to reset the pointers on the fan side of the limit control. Typically, the lower pointer should be gear up to near 90 degrees F., and the upper one should be at about 115 degrees F.
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Noisy Furnace or Duct Work
Many heating ducts are metal, and so they conduct noise quite readily from the air-handling unit to your rooms. To intermission the conduction of audio, you tin have a heating contractor insert flexible insulation duct work between the furnace or air conditioner and the duct work runs.
Pinging or Popping Sounds
A pinging or popping sound coming from the duct piece of work can come from thermal expansion—the ductwork expanding and contracting as it heats and cools. Or, air blowing past a loose flap of metal can make the audio. Track forth the duct runs, listening for the sound. If you locate it, make a small paring in the sheet metal to provide a more rigid surface that'southward less likely to move equally it heats and cools.
Rattling Noises
If the furnace cabinet makes rattling noises when information technology runs, be certain the cover panels are screwed on tight. Tighten any loose panels.
Squealing Noises
Squealing sounds from a forced-air furnace more often than not occur when the chugalug that connects the motor to the fan slips. Tighten the fit by adjusting the motor mountain. Or, the belt is improperly aligned or worn and needs replacement. Follow the instructions in your owner's manual.
This job involves removing the access console, loosening a couple of bolts that concord the blower motor at the proper tension, and adjusting its distance or realigning the belt. In many cases, it's a proficient idea to remove the chugalug and buy a replacement at a dwelling middle. Concluding, when reinstalling the belt, be careful not to over-tighten information technology; this tin can wear out the motor bearings.
Grinding Sounds
If the blower is making a grinding racket, shut off the unit of measurement and call a furnace repair technician; the motor's bearings are probably shot.
Furnace Not Working—Oil Burner
First of all, if the oil burner goes on and off too much, clean or replace the filter.
If your oil burner doesn't piece of work at all, check to run into if it is receiving electrical power, if the thermostat is cleaved or turned off, or if a flame sensor in the burner or heat sensor in the stack has signaled the unit to shut off.
In the issue that replacing the filter or checking these issues don't solve the trouble, call a furnace repair technician because oil-burning furnaces are complex to repair.
NEXT SEE:
• Maintenance Checklist for Central Heating Systems
• How to Buy a Furnace for Heating Your Home
• Furnaces & Heating Systems
• How a Gas Furnace Works
• Buying a High-Efficiency Furnace
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