February 28, 2020

At Woodward Heating Air Plumbing, we know that being cold in your own home can get frustrating, especially when your furnace is running but not improving the situation. Are you asking yourself, “My furnace is blowing cold air? What should I do?” Check these places first, check if your air filter is dirty, if your thermostat is set correctly or if you need to change your thermostat battery!

The air coming out of your vents might feel cold when the furnace first kicks on, but it should warm up fairly quickly. However, if the air is simply not heating up, and if you can feel cold or room-temperature air coming out of your registers, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take before picking up the phone to call a technician.

Here are the troubleshooting steps we recommend.

Step 1: Check to see if your air filter is dirty.

This is the HVAC equivalent of tech support’s “Did you try turning it off then back on again” troubleshooting step. Why? Because dirty filters are one of the most common causes of furnace issues.

If the filter is too dirty, the airflow to your furnace becomes obstructed. When this happens, your furnace can’t function properly and may even overheat. If the furnace overheats, it will only blow out cold air or it will shut off entirely.

Checking your air filter is extremely important, especially because the filter can get quite dirty even before the 90-day mark. Certain occurrences can send more dust through the air than you might expect, such as spring cleaning, receiving delivery packages, moving, and home renovations. If you own a pet or multiple pets, that will also increase your need to replace your filter more often.

Step 2: Check your thermostat’s settings.

Check your thermostat’s fan switch, and make sure it’s set to “auto.” If it’s set to “on,” the fan might be blowing air into your house even when your furnace isn’t heating the air.

Step 3: Check your thermostat’s battery indicator.

Sometimes the solution just comes down to replacing a dead battery in your thermostat. If you have a digital thermostat, check its battery indicator to see if it’s low on battery. If there’s no battery indicator, try replacing the battery to see if that fixes the issue.

Step 4: Call a professional HVAC technician.

If none of the solutions above solved the issue, you might be dealing with a problem that will require a professional repair job, such as:

  • A faulty thermostat
  • Damaged or leaky ducts
  • A malfunctioning zoning system
  • A problem with your furnace ignitor

Going without heat in your home can be extremely uncomfortable, especially night after night during colder months. Woodward Heating Air Plumbing offers 24/7 emergency heating repair in Aumsville, Salem, and surrounding areas to help warm up your home in a hurry. Contact us today to learn more!

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