While it generally doesn’t get too cold during the cooler months here in Orlando, there are likely to be a few nights and mornings this winter when you’ll want to turn on the heat. But what happens when you go to turn on your heater and you’re met with cool air? Or worse, no air at all coming from your air registers?

Besides putting on a pair of cozy socks and a sweater, it’s time to troubleshoot what might be wrong with your furnace. Here are the top reasons why your heater might not be working from our heating and cooling pros at Frank Gay Services.

Thermostat Problems

Sometimes when your heater is blowing cool instead of warm air, it’s not your heater at all. Starting with the thermostat is a great place to begin to troubleshoot what might be wrong with your heater.

Some common problems that we see with thermostats are:

The fan was set to “on” which causes your fan to blow continuously. Since heaters don’t pump out hot air nonstop, at some point you may feel cool air coming from your vents. Try setting your fan to “auto” to get warm air blowing, not cold.
Someone changed the thermostat settings.
The thermostat batteries are low or dead.
Your DIY thermostat was installed incorrectly or may not be compatible with your heating system.

Filter Issues

After you have checked the thermostat, the next easy way to troubleshoot your thermostat is to check your air filter. A dirty or clogged air filter can restrict the airflow to and from your HVAC system, which in turn could limit your system’s ability to produce and distribute warm air throughout your home.

Some heating systems even have a built-in system that will prevent your heater from working if the filter is too clogged to prevent overheating the burner or starting a fire. When this happens, you’ll likely feel cool air blowing from your air vents.

Try changing your filter and after doing so, restart your furnace. If that works, congratulate yourself on finding the solution but take note to change your air filter more frequently in the future. If this didn’t fix your issue, it may be time to call in the pros from Frank Gay Services.

Condensate Line Issues

When your HVAC system is working in hot weather, the condensing unit continually drips water into the drip pan. This water is then removed from the pan via a pipe that eventually makes its way outside of your home where the water is drained off. These lines are susceptible to getting plugged with algae and other grime, especially if regular maintenance is not performed on them.

Once the condensate line gets clogged, the float switch will get tripped, and the system will shut down. Therefore, it is important to have seasonal maintenance done on your HVAC system before the seasonal switch to ensure everything is clean and running properly.

Did you forget to set up seasonal maintenance this year? Don’t worry! Call Frank Gay Services and we can perform seasonal preventative maintenance on your HVAC system to ensure that it runs efficiently all season long!

Problems at the Source

This may be an obvious question, is your heater getting electricity or fuel? We know it sounds too simple, but we often find lack of fuel or electricity to be the culprit for a heater that isn’t working properly. Consider:

Is the furnace switched on at the breaker panel and turned on for your electric furnace?
Is the gas supply valve open on your gas-powered furnace?

If not, none of these furnaces will be able to work and produce warm air.

Pilot Light Issues

If you have a gas-powered furnace, it has a pilot light, and it can go out from time to time. You can either re-light it or call a technician from Frank Gay Services to relight it for you!

Gas Valve Problems

This is another maintenance issue. If your gas furnace hasn’t been cleaned in a long time, a faulty or dirty valve could be the reason that cold air is blowing out of your furnace. Or the gas valve might be worn out. This is another great reason to have seasonal maintenance performed on your system.

Prevent Heater Breakdowns with Frank Gay Services

As you can see, there are many reasons why you’re getting a blast of cool air instead of the warm air that you were expecting when you turn on the heat. Some can easily be fixed and remedied, like changing the thermostat batteries, or changing your air filter, while others require the expertise of a trained HVAC pro from Frank Gay Services. If you need help troubleshooting a heater problem, our team is on call 24/7 and is just a phone call away.

Don’t get left in the cold. Call Frank Gay Services to schedule heater maintenance and repair today; (407) 329-9808 !