A Quick Troubleshooting Guide for Your Gas Furnace

January 1, 2015

When you're faced with troubleshooting a home appliance, it's best to have an understanding of how the device actually works. A standard gas furnace works by taking in cold air and heating it with a heat exchanger. Essentially, a gas burner is used to warm up the heat exchanger. Afterwards, the heated air is sent to the rooms in your home via the ductwork. It then returns to the furnace via return grills and is heated again to complete another loop.

Investigating Furnace Problems

Problem: Furnace cycles on and off too frequently

A dirty furnace filter makes your furnace work harder to keep your home warm, so make sure to check and replace it if necessary. If your home is poorly insulated, your furnace may have to do more work to maintain a comfortable temperature. Inspect your home's insulation to find out if this is the case. If your insulation is sufficient, the problem may be that your furnace is too small for your living space, or that it's oversized, causing it to reach the desired temperature quickly and cycle off.

Problem: Furnace produces no heat 

This can be caused by setting your thermostat too low. Check the setting and increase the temperature if necessary. If your gas furnace is still not providing any heat, your thermostat may not be functioning. If your thermostat is functioning, the problem may lie with the furnace itself. If it doesn't have electric ignition, the pilot light may have gone out or the gas valve may be closed.

Problem: Furnace does not produce enough heat

In instances when your furnace is clearly working, but the heat provided is not sufficient, your issue may be a dirty furnace filter. A dirty gas burner or one that's in need of adjustment may also cause this to happen. Contact Lozier Heating & Cooling if you're having furnace problems in your Des Moines area home. We have been providing heating and cooling services to the Greater Des Moines area since 1906.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: "Palto/Shutterstock"