subject: How To Avoid Costly Furnace Repair Bills [print this page] We quite often overlook the basics and jump to an unwarranted conclusion when dealing with furnace breakdowns. Try not to let this happen to you; preserve your hard earned money for a better cause. When life throws you a furnace repair curve ball check the following items before calling for service.
o Make sure power to the furnace is on. Usually there is a switch on the side or top of the furnace; confirm the switch is in the on position. If the furnace is still not functioning try inspecting the breaker switches inside the fuse panel. These two switches, the furnace switch and the breaker switch, are responsible for supplying power to the furnace. Confirming both switches are in the on position will possibly avoid a service call. Once you have confirmed that both switches are on, try turning the power off for one minute and then turn it back on. Even furnaces have computers that need to be reset for reasons such as power fluctuations or improper ground connections.
o Check to make sure the thermostat is set properly. If the thermostat is in the heat position and set above room temperature try turning the heat/off/cool switch to off and then back on. This may reset the IFC control of some furnaces and allow the furnace to attempt another heat cycle.
o Check the manual gas valve. The manual gas valve is located on the gas pipe coming into the furnace. Make sure the valve handle is parallel with the gas pipe.
Taking a moment to check these items may prevent a service call, however, lest we overlook another basic maintenance item on the furnace checklist, make sure you check the filter. Furnace companies will sometimes view a dirty filter as grounds to charge a customer even more. Although this behavior is not very nice, or perhaps ethical, some technicians will consider a dirty filter as the homeowners lack of interest in saving money. "Heck, if they don't have time to change a filter than they certainly won't mind making it worth my while."
On the positive side, if you follow these steps you may even solicit the opposite response from your heating and cooling company. Just tell them you tried performing these basic steps but found the problem was something more complicated then the checklist you were given. Whenever a customer has shown this type of interest in solving their furnace repair problem I always try to put myself in their shoes. If they took the time to follow these steps chances are they are probably concerned about an expensive repair bill. Believe it or not, customers always score points with me this way. I have attempted a few automobile repairs on my own to try to save money.
Hope this gets you back in operation and saves a few dollars!
