What To Do If Your Gas Furnace Won't Turn On After A Power Outage?
Posted on: 16 March 2020
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Have you recently experienced a strong storm? It may have ripped through and caused some damage, and in addition, triggered a power outage. When you went to turn on your gas furnace, it just won't crank on. This can be frustrating, especially when the temperatures are bitter cold outside. Whether you hear it cycling or there is nothing coming from the unit, it's time to do a little minor troubleshooting. If that doesn't work, you'll need to get a furnace repair specialist out to your home right away.
Check for a Tripped Breaker
Many times when there is some form of power surge from electrical loss, it trips the main electrical breaker. First, you need to locate your electrical panel. When you open up the door, check for any breakers that may appear to have a red color on their switch window. This is a good indication that it was tripped because of the power surge. It has a built-in safety mechanism so that it shuts itself off and prevents overheating, which could lead to an electrical fire. Move the breaker to the "off" position and then flip it back. The window will turn green, and you will hear your furnace begin to start.
Thermostat Needs Resetting
In some cases, during a power outage, the thermostat may not reset itself. It goes into service mode and will need to be reset or reprogrammed before the furnace will operate properly. This is especially common if you have a smart hub or smart thermostat. Oftentimes the furnace may just cycle itself and not heat up. This may prompt a call to get the proper furnace repair services. But first, try shutting the HVAC unit off at the circuit breaker completely and manually press the thermostat to the off position. Wait 15 minutes and turn the circuit breaker and thermostat back on. This should reset the unit back to the normal factory settings.
Check the Pilot Light
If there was a huge blizzard or windstorm, the pilot light could easily get blown out. Or, if there was a minor disruption in the gas services to your home, this could also allow the pilot light to go out intermittently, resulting in it going out completely. The first thing you should do is get down and check to see if it is on. Under the main door to the unit, you should see the light at the very bottom. It appears as a small flame. If there is no flame, it will need to be manually lit. If you need assistance, you can call an HVAC pro to come out and light it for you.
Some gas furnace problems are a simple fix that most competent homeowners can do on their own. But, if your furnace still won't fire up after a power outage, it's a good time to contact your local heating and cooling professional to come out and make the necessary repairs.