As temperatures cool down, you'll be getting ready to start turning on your furnace to heat up your home. Unfortunately, your furnace that was working great last winter may start to malfunction when you are ready to use it again. Here are a few common reasons that could cause your home's furnace to stop working.
Broken Thermostat
The thermostat is often to blame for a malfunctioning furnace. The problem could be as simple as not having working batteries in the thermostat, causing it to appear as if the digital panel will not turn on. Try swapping out the batteries and see if that does the trick.
If the batteries are working, the issue could be caused by the wire that travels from your thermostat to the furnace. All it takes is a pest, such as a small mouse, to chew through this wire during the fall to cause the thermostat to stop working in the winter. You may need the help of an HVAC professional to test and run a new wire from your thermostat to the HVAC system.
Broken Blower Fan
The furnace itself can be producing all the heat you need, but it won't make its way through your home if your blower motor isn't operating properly. This is what pushes the air through the vents, and it is a crucial part to the system's operation, even though it is not producing any heat.
There are a couple common issues with the blower motor. For starters, the motor itself may be broken. This is going to be a more costly repair, since you will most likely need to have the entire motor replaced with a new one. The problem could also be as simple as a broken belt, which is what turns the fan blades that push the air through your home.
Diagnosing a broken blower motor will be the hardest part of solving this problem, but a broken belt is easy to repair on your own.
These are just a few reasons that your furnace can stop working. Other problems, such as a broken heat exchanger or heating element, will often require the help of a professional to repair. Consider calling a technician for heating repair services and getting an annual inspection of your HVAC system done to prevent problems before they occur. Making sure your furnace is up to snuff will help keep the heat running during the winter.
