Is My Heating System Working?

If your house is warmed with a forced-air heater, a furnace or a heat pump is at the heart of it. Here we look at the best ways to handle furnace issues from a heating system working improperly to a furnace not operating at all.

Heating systems constructed after the 1990s come with a security switch or security locked out. These are precaution put in location to avoid heating and a/c if there is a technical issue that can trigger a hazard.

In these cases, no matter what you do to the thermostat, the furnace will never ever begin until the problem is discovered and repaired.

Problems can consist of Dirty evaporator coils, Stopped up pipes, Complete air filters, Broken wires, Burnt control panel, Dead blower motors.

Ways to Fix These Problems and other Heating Issues:

• Ensure the switch is on "Heat" instead of on "Cool.".
• Check the temperature setting.
• Compare the temperature level setting to the room temperature. Set the temperature level 5 degrees greater than the room temperature level and see if the heater kicks on.
• Make sure the program is displaying the right day and time, in addition to a.m. and p.m. settings.
• Trace the thermostat wires back to the heating system to look for breaks, specifically if you have actually done any renovating recently. If you find a break in one of the thin wires, splice the line back together and cover it with electrical tape.
• Change the battery. If you have a power interruption with a dead battery, you'll lose your settings and the thermostat will revert to the default program.
• Open the thermostat and carefully blow out any dust or particles. Make sure it's level and strongly attached on the wall, which none of the wires entering into it are loose.
• If you can't make the program settings work, you can bypass them entirely. Just punch in the temperature you want with the up/down control and after that press the hold button. That will change on the heater if the thermostat programs is the issue.