St Louis Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Guide

Gas Furnace Troubleshooting in St Louis

Searching for some fast ideas on how to keep your gas furnace in good shape this winter? This quick guide will address all your concerns, including how to turn on a heating system, how to alter a filter, the best ways to check a furnace’s airflow, exactly what to do if a heater doesn’t spark, and more.


We hope you find this furnace troubleshooting overview to be helpful – and we hope you stay warm this chilly St Louis winter!


Follow these simple guidelines for furnace troubleshooting in St Louis

How to Turn On Your Gas Furnace

It sounds simple, however believe it or not, many people have no idea how to turn their heating system on or off. Right here’s a simple, detailed breakdown:

• Discover the breaker for your furnace. It belongs to the electrical panel, which is generally located in your basement, energy space or garage. The breaker must be clearly labeled with a gas furnace sticker label. Turn the breaker to the “On” position.


• Find and turn on the heater switch. It is usually someplace near all-time low of your basement stairs – often in the ceiling, occasionally in the heater space itself, and usually at eye level or slightly higher.


• Set your thermostat. Examine that the heater is on then ensure that the selector switch is set to “Heat”. Lastly, adjust your set point temperature, and that’s it – your heater is turned and ready to warm your home!

The best ways to Inspect and Change Your Furnace Filter.

Proper upkeep of your heating system filter can assist optimize airflow from your heater, which will keep it running successfully and financially throughout the coldest months of the year. To avoid exhaustion of your heater parts, we advise checking your filter regular monthly and changing it every three to 6 months. Below’s how it’s done:

• Begin by carefully opening the heating system’s external rack or panel door.


• Eliminate the heater filter by sliding it out. Have a look at the filter to see if there’s any darkness or discoloration.


• If you cannot see with the filter, it’s definitely time for a new one. Slide the brand-new filter into the heating system, seeing to it that it is installed in the direction of the air flow. Which’s it – you’re done!

Ways to Test Your Heating System’s Airflow When Furnace Troubleshooting

If a room in your residence is too cold during the long St Louis winter, it might be due to the fact that your heating system isn’t supplying enough warm air with the registers in that specific room. There’s a basic method to check the air flow from your heater registers to see to it they are working properly– the garbage bag airflow test.


The test is a fast means to approximate air flow by figuring out exactly how long it takes to fill a typical plastic trash bag. While it is not a precise measurement, it is much better than no measurement at all and will give you an excellent ideas about whether you need to call a specialist to take a look at your duct-work.


To do the trash bag airflow test:.

• Tape the mouth of the trash can to a coat hanger or piece of cardboard to keep it open.


• Crush the bag flat and place it over the register or exhaust hood.


• Count the number of seconds it considers the bag to fully blow up.

If the inflation time is:.

• 2 seconds = 37 L/s (75 cfm).


• 4 seconds = 20 L/s (40 cfm).


• 10 seconds = 10 L/s (20 cfm).

If the measured airflow is less than 10 L/s, the heating system is delivering just a percentage of heat to a space and should be more examined to determine why the heat is not experiencing.


The trash can air flow test is also useful if you have altered your heating or cooling systems or have made significant renovations to your home.

If Your Gas Furnace Fails to Stir up.

If you can hear that your furnace is on and the fan is running, but all you’re getting is cold air, you likely have ignition failure. Try resetting your heater by turning the switch to off for a minimum of ten seconds, then, turning it on once again. If that does not suffice, give Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning a call at 314-351-5580

Furnace Troubleshooting Checklist

Think your gas furnace has stopped? You could save yourself the expense of a no-heat service call by examining the following:

1. Is the heater switch in the on position? It might have been shut off by mistake.


2. Is the thermostat appropriately set to the “heat” position and the temperature level set to your regular heat setting?


3. Is the furnace venting obstructed by snow or ice? If so, attempt to remove the clog.


4. Are the programmable thermostat batteries fresh?


5. Is the circuit breaker in the electric panel in the correct position?Is the furnace door effectively closed?


6. Has the filter been changed just recently?

If you have actually examined everything on the furnace troubleshooting list and your heating system still isn’t working, give your neighborhood HVAC service provider a call, and they’ll get your heater back up and running as quickly as possible.

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Advanced Furnace Troubleshooting

Ways to Effectively Remove Vent Blockages.

If you familiarize a furnace trouble that could involve the outside vent, do a fast inspection and see if any snow, ice or some common home product may be blocking the vent. If so, prior to removing the blockage, head inside first and turn the off the power to your heater. Now, you can securely clear away whatever is blocking your outside vent. Once you’re done, turn your heater back on utilizing either the breaker or the switch.


An absence of airflow through the heating system’s interior vents could indicate your furnace fan motor has actually taken. If this has taken place, don’t attempt to deal with the trouble yourself – contact the expert heating system repair specialists at your area furnace repair contractor.

How to Stop Air Leaks and Prevent Heat Loss

Air leaks account for a considerable amount of a house’s heat loss in winter season – leading to increased heating costs as your heating system constantly attempts to change the warm air that has left from your house. Fixing these leaks will save you cash on your heating costs.


To stop leakages around windows and doors:

• Eliminate the trims very carefully.


• Fill large cracks or gaps with foam backer rod, oakum, or broadening polyurethane foam.


• Change the trims and caulk along the edges.

To stop leaks along baseboards:

• Caulk along the seams without removing the baseboard.


• Get rid of the wall and caulk between the wall and the floor.

To stop leaks around electric outlets on outdoors walls:

• Turn off power to the outlet and eliminate the outlet cover.


• Set up a foam insulating pad.


• Replace the outlet cover turn the power back on to the outlet.

To stop leakages in an unfinished basement:

• Caulk under the basement sill plate and around the joists with a rubber-based caulking or acoustical sealant.


• Caulk any gaps where ducts enter a wall or ceiling.


• Insulate ducts with preformed covers or duct-taped insulation batts.

To stop leaks in your attic:.

• Seal any cracks.


• Climate strip your attic door and close it snugly.

If a Gas Scent is Spotted.

In the unlikely event that you smell something like a rotten egg odor, you might have a gas leak. Do not turn on any electrical switches and open all of your windows. Then, go to a neighbor’s home and contact your HVAC professional or your local gas supplier immediately.

If you are in St Louis and need help with a furnace repair or help with furnace troubleshooting call Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co Inc at 314-351-5580.



St Louis Gas Furnace Troubleshooting Guide