5 Things That Can Cause A Gas Furnace To Stop Working

Posted on: 22 December 2020

Do you have a gas-powered furnace that is not working right? If so, it could be due to one of these components that have gone bad over time. You'll likely need to bring out an HVAC technician to diagnose the problem for you and perform the necessary heating repairs

The Thermostat

The first part that you should inspect is your thermostat, which is the component that is essentially the brains of the furnace. If your furnace is not working properly, then you need to make sure that nothing is wrong with the thermostat to eliminate the easiest thing to fix. Make sure that the thermostat works for basic functions, like turning on the blower motor of the furnace. If the thermostat cannot even turn on the fan, then try replacing the thermostat with a new one to see if that fixes the problem.

The Inducer Motor

Your furnace's inducer motor has the job of removing carbon monoxide from the furnace. If this part fails, it is possible that the entire furnace will shut down as a safety precaution to prevent carbon monoxide from going into your home. Thankfully, it's a part that can be swapped out by an HVAC technician fairly easily. 

The Pressure Switch

The pressure switch is the part that monitors the inducer motor to make sure that it is doing its job. However, this is just one more part of the system that can cause your furnace to stop working. That's why an HVAC technician will look at the pressure switch and inducer motor to ensure that they are both functioning as intended. 

The Igniter 

The igniter is one of the first parts of the burner assembly that needs to work to produce heat. You can usually hear the igniter make a clicking sound before it starts up to indicate that it is working. A bad igniter will either not make that clicking sound or just keep clicking without starting the ignition system. 

The Blower Motor

The blower motor needs to spin at a certain speed in order to force all the hot air through your home. If the blower motor is not spinning fast enough, it is going to cause the whole furnace to overheat and shut down soon after the furnace starts up. The blower motor will likely need to be replaced because the speed of the blower motor being set correctly is crucial to the whole furnace working properly — too slow and the furnace overheats, too fast and the furnace will blow cold air. 

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