Does the cold have your furnace in a funk? Here's what you need to check.
PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Now that Minnesota and Western Wisconsin are experiencing wind chills in the 20 to 30 below zero range, heating issues are popping up in homes. Systems are breaking down when heat is needed most.
"Lots of heated blankets at night," WCCO executive producer Tracy Perlman said. "We have been hovering at 61 to 63 degrees since this weekend. I cranked it up to 71 just to see if I can get it any hotter in here and it's not budging."
She knew something was wrong with her furnace.
"I checked the filter, the pilot light is on," said Perlman.
Then she called a technician to come fix it.
Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning allowed WCCO to follow along as Evan Partridge diagnosed the issue after learning that the furnace hadn't received a tune-up in about two years.
Along with checking the filter and pilot light like Perlman did, the company also suggested these tips:
- Check the thermostat to make sure it's in the correct mode.
- Inspect the blower which includes resetting the furnace breaker.
- Check the gas supply to make sure the valve is on.
- Inspect the flue. Check for blockages caused by birds or debris.
- For high-efficiency systems, Clear the drainpipe.
"It handles condensation, so it has this removable drain trap that I'm going to clear with hot water," said Partridge.
After running additional tests, Partridge knows what's needed to get the furnace running like it should.
"This one I needed to clean the flame sensor and the inducer motor is really noisy and overdrawing amps so I do believe we should replace that," he explained.
Partridge says the problems that caused Perlman's furnace failure could've been caught during a routine check-up.
"I feel really dumb because we tell people every winter get your furnace checked, do all these things, and I was like, 'Yeah, yeah it's fine.' And then, lo and behold, that's the reason my house is cold," said Perlman.
Partridge says to beware of any heating and air company with high-pressure sales tactics. If something doesn't feel right, get another opinion.
