Electric Furnace Not Heating?

With the cooler months quickly approaching, you will begin to rely on your home’s electric furnace to keep you and your loved ones warm. Unfortunately, furnaces typically don’t pick a convenient time to experience mechanical problems. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to perform basic troubleshooting on your home’s electric furnace, depending on what the problem is.

1. There’s No Heat Coming From Your Vents

If your furnace sounds like it’s running but isn’t pushing out any warm air (or is pushing out very little warm air), there are a couple of potential causes.

First, consider how long it’s been since you last changed your furnace air filter. Ideally, these should be swapped out with new ones at least every few months; otherwise, your filter can become clogged with debris and dust, which could be preventing warm air from flowing through your ductwork and vents. Try replacing your furnace filter and see if that does the trick.

If replacing the air filter doesn’t work, check your furnace’s thermostat (which is different from your home thermostat) to make sure the heat is set to a high enough temperature. If raising the temperature by a few degrees doesn’t lead to warm air coming from your vents, you may have a more serious problem on your hands. Often times, a lack of heat is due to a broken blower or a bad furnace fan—issues that will need to be addressed by a professional heater technician.

2. The Furnace Isn’t Turning on

If your electric furnace isn’t showing any signs of life at all, there are a few things you can try for yourself before calling a furnace te. Start by making sure the unit is actually turned on; most electric furnaces have a switch (similar to a light switch) that can be used to turn the unit on and off. Make sure this hasn’t been flipped.

Electric furnaces can also trip breakers and blow fuses from time to time, so be sure to check your furnace’s breaker and reset it if it’s been tripped. If you have an old-fashioned fuse box, check to make sure the fuse for your furnace isn’t burnt out. If it is, you’ll need to replace it.

If your electric furnace still isn’t powering up after completing these steps, it’s time to give a trusted HVAC team a call.

3. There Are Strange Noises Coming From the Furnace

Most electric furnaces are relatively quiet during normal operation, and you probably have a pretty good idea of what your furnace sounds like most of the time. If you begin to notice any differences in operating noise, such as screeching or banging, this needs to be addressed.

Start by checking the access panel on the furnace itself to make sure it hasn’t come loose; this can occur over time and lead to a banging noise, but is easily resolved by simply tightening the bolts. In other cases, a bad belt could be the cause of strange noises coming from an electric furnace; this is something that will need to be repaired by a professional.

4. The Furnace’s Blower is Constantly Running

Generally, your electric furnace’s blower motor should kick on and off as needed. You can hear when it’s running if you pay attention. If you notice that your blower motor seems to be constantly running, this is an issue that can cause premature wear and tear on your entire system and waste energy.

Check to ensure that your thermostat is on the correct setting; specifically, the fan should be set to “auto” rather than “on.” If it’s already set to “auto” or if changing it to “auto” doesn’t resolve the issue of the blower constantly running, then you’ll need to call in a professional to evaluate and diagnose the issue.

In Need of Electric Furnace Repair in Fort Worth?

If your electric furnace is experiencing issues that cannot be resolved with any of these basic troubleshooting tips, then it’s time to look for a heating professional you can trust in the Fort Worth area. At Comfort Masters Heating & Air Conditioning, we’ve been serving residents in the local area for over 15 years and take great pride in our punctual diagnostic services and quick, quality repairs.

Schedule an appointment for a diagnostic by giving us a call at 817-994-4194. We’d also be happy to answer any questions you may have about our services. We offer everything from furnace diagnostics and repair to full replacement of electric furnaces if needed.