It’s easy to panic if your heater stops working, especially in the dead of winter. Luckily, modern heating systems make it relatively easy to diagnose and fix problems. Even still, you may understandably wonder what to check first if your heater isn’t working.

Check your thermostat right away to make sure it’s set to “heat” and “on” if your heater isn’t working. After a power outage or surge, you must check the circuit breaker and restore power to your furnace or heat pump in many cases. Adjust the gas valve if it’s shut off and replace your air filter if it’s clogged. 

Leaks in your ductwork can also make it seem like your heater is broken, but they’re easily fixable. Follow along as we highlight what to check first if your heater isn’t working. 

What Should I Do if My Heater Isn’t Working?

1. Inspect Your Thermostat

Cold weather comes so quickly that some people forget to switch over their HVAC systems. Check your thermostat to see if it’s set to “heat” if cold air is coming out of your vents. Switch the setting to “heat” if it’s set to “cool”, and your heater should work.

Some homeowners must also flip a switch near their heater. For example, you may have a control switch on your wall or ceiling that’s separate from your thermostat. In that case, you must flip this switch and adjust your thermostat to fix the problem. 

There’s also a chance that your thermostat is set to “auto” instead of “on” if your heater isn’t working. Switch the thermostat to “on” and see how quickly your furnace runs. This could indicate that the thermostat has dead batteries or that there’s a power supply problem. 

2. Check the Circuit Breaker

Check the circuit breaker if your heater isn’t working and is unresponsive. Short circuits are common in parts of your house with large electrical load demands. A short circuit can also happen after a power outage and your heater will stop working. 

Luckily, this fix is easy if your circuit breaker is accurately labeled. Flip the switch associated with the circuit your heater is on to restore power. You may also need to check the switch on your furnace to make sure it’s turned on as well. 

3. Adjust the Gas Valve

Your gas valve may be switched to the “off” position if your heater isn’t working. This is an easy mistake that’s even easier to fix. You can easily find the gas valve if you remove the access panel on your furnace and look for a small box.

The switch has two positions: “on” and “off”, and they’re both labeled. All you must do is flip the switch to put it in the “on” position. Be patient as it may take a minute for the heater to run upon turning the switch to “on”. 

4. Replace the Filter

Air filters help keep our homes clean and improve the quality of the air we breathe. However, if you don’t replace filters often enough you risk much more than dirty air and dusty counters. Dirty air filters can unnecessarily strain your heater and affect its performance.

This can cause loud operation, dirty coils, high energy bills, and heat exchanger problems. Heat exchanger problems are the worst-case scenario, so proper furnace filter maintenance is essential. The average homeowner must replace their air filter every 90 days.

However, it’s worth inspecting your air filter monthly to see how dirty it is. With a clean filter, you can lower your bills and enjoy a better heater performance. This also helps you enjoy warmer, cleaner air and fewer maintenance visits. 

5. Air Leaks

Unless you have a ductless heater, your system relies on ductwork to deliver warm air throughout your home. However, air ducts are prone to problems due to age, corrosion, and even gravity. Air ducts can eventually shift and cause air to leak as your heater runs. 

This can explain why you don’t feel warm air as much as you typically should. It can also make your home much noisier when your furnace runs. Air leaks are wasteful as you must pay to run your HVAC system, but you won’t feel warm air. 

You can repair air duct leaks with metal duct tape and duct mastic. However, it’s worth calling HVAC technicians for heating repair if you don’t have any experience with ductwork. 

6. Clear the Drain Line

Heating systems, like furnaces, produce lots of condensation as they run. Drain lines remove the water to keep it out of the system and prevent damage. Debris, dirt, and dust can eventually clog the drain line and make your furnace stop working. 

You can experience many problems with a clogged drain line, such as reduced airflow. There is also a chance of water damage if you don’t quickly catch the problem. Luckily, you can easily clear a clogged drain line with a wet/dry vacuum.

Keep in mind that you must first shut off your HVAC system, so you don’t damage it. In minor cases, you can clean a drain line with a mixture of water and bleach. Repeatedly flush the drain line to remove any bleach and debris that remains. 

7. Secure the Blower Panel

A furnace’s blower motor is essential to send warm air throughout your home. Blower motors have panels that protect them and keep them in place. Many modern heaters are designed to stop running if the blower motor panel isn’t secure. 

This is an easy problem to overlook, and it often takes an HVAC technician to fix it. However, you can fix this problem in an emergency if you inspect the blower motor. Check the panel and push it into place if it is loose and not secure. 

8. Check the Blower Motor

Sometimes, the problem isn’t the blower panel, but the blower motor itself. Blower motors work hard to deliver air throughout your house, and they can eventually wear out. This happens because of excessive use, dirt, dust, and debris. 

Otherwise, the blower motor may fail because of problems with key components, like a bad capacitor. In that case, you must replace the capacitor to help your blower motor run correctly. The best-case scenario is that your blower motor is simply dirty.

In that case, you can shut off your heater’s power, let it cool down, and clean the blower motor. You can clean the blower wheel with a brush, but it requires special care. Reach out for help if your blower motor is dirty and you’re worried about damaging it. 

Don’t Panic if Your Heater Stops Working

Whether it be a furnace, boiler, or heat pump, modern heaters are often repairable. Some problems, like a bad capacitor, require professional help, but simple issues like clogged filters are easily fixable. At Rich’s Heating and Cooling LLC, our team can quickly diagnose and repair problems whether it be a routine checkup or an emergency. Call Rich’s Heating and Cooling LLC at (732) 433-0068 if your heater is acting up and nothing seems to help.