Simple ways to troubleshoot your furnace before calling a repair technician

There is nothing worse than waking up in a freezing house in the middle of a cold winter’s night — except maybe, knowing you’ll have a big, expensive furnace bill to pay later that day. 

Here are eight things to check before you call your furnace repair technician: 

• Make sure power and gas are on - Not to sound too basic, but if you moved in over the summer and didn’t need heat, it’s possible you forgot to set up your account. Or, it could simply be a power outage causing the problems. Before you place a call for assistance, make sure both power and gas services are activated. 

• Replace your batteries - Some thermostats are wired to the house’s electrical system, but others rely on battery power. If your home’s thermostat runs on batteries, try replacing them with a fresh set. If the furnace comes on, you know the source of the problem. 

• Open the vents - Walk through your house and make sure nothing is blocking the vents. A curtain, a piece of furniture, a basket of laundry or a box might be obstructing the vent and preventing heat flow. 

• Remove obstructions - Outdoor debris can suffocate a heating unit. Check outside for leaves, branches or trash that might have been sucked into the unit. As a rule-of-thumb, you should keep a three-foot radius around the unit clear from shrubs, plants or other obstructions. 

• Check the pilot light - Pilot lights can blow out fairly easily, so many will have specific lighting instructions posted on the unit. Consult your unit or owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re unsure, it might be time to call an expert. 

• Check your Thermostat - Confirm that your thermostat is set to “HEAT.” It’s easy enough to accidentally bump the switch when cleaning. If it’s not set to “HEAT” your furnace may either appear to be blowing out cold air or it may appear not to be working at all. 

• Check your circuit breaker and emergency switch - Take a look at your home’s breaker panel, and find the circuit that controls the furnace. If you see the breaker has been tripped and is now in the “OFF” position, you need to reset it. 

• Replace the air filters - Clogged filters are one of the leading causes of furnace issues. Your furnace must work harder to compensate for the blockage, and it could cause your heat exchanger to overheat and shut off. 

If you’ve gone through this simple checklist and still have problems with your furnace, consider calling a WtfixAir Heating Service technician in Frankston (https://www.wtfixair.com.au/melbourne/heater-service-frankston/) to get your system back up and running.