When you’re dealing with a furnace blowing cool air, your immediate inclination might be to call a professional. While there’s a good chance that a technician will be needed in certain situations, the problem might be something simple that you can correct yourself. Here are some troubleshooting tips we’ve compiled in case your furnace isn’t quite working the way it should:
- Thermostat issue – Obviously, if there’s a problem with your home’s thermostat, it’s going to affect your furnace. The temperature setting may be too low or perhaps the thermostat is malfunctioning. Also make sure that the “heat” setting has been selected.
- Damaged ductwork – Don’t place all of your concentration on the furnace. If your ductwork has been damaged, it will negatively affect your heating system.
- Dirty filter – Filters should be changed on a regular basis to improve efficiency and maintain a furnace’s longevity.
- Lack of fuel – If your furnace runs on fuel oil or propane, make sure that it hasn’t run out. If it runs on either of those fuels or natural gas, a more likely scenario, check to make sure the gas valve is open (parallel to the pipeline).
- Clogged condensate – If your condensate pump, outlet or reservoir has become clogged, the burners will be unable to light. Either clean them yourself or call a technician.
- Pilot light – Pilot lights, common in older furnaces, can go out for seemingly no reason. If this happens, you need to relight it. Problems can also occur with other ignition systems. A hot surface ignition system can often be fixed by resetting the furnace. For an intermittent pilot ignition, you may have faulty components that should be checked by a professional.
- Tripped breaker or blown fuse – These problems are quite easy to fix. Reset the breaker to see if the unit works properly again. If a fuse has blown, all you need to do is replace it. (If this is a problem, your furnace likely isn’t blowing any air, whether hot or cold.)
For expert advice with a furnace blowing cool air or any other home comfort concerns, get in touch with the professionals at Ace Hardware Home Services. We’ve been serving the HVAC needs of Dayton, Springfield and the surrounding area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
