The colder the weather gets, the more you rely on your furnace to keep your home safe and comfortable. When it breaks down, you must get furnace repairs as quickly as possible. Troubleshooting the problem may help you fix it or make it easier for your HVAC technician to identify and resolve the problem.

Common Issues Needing Furnace Repair

1. Pilot Light

If you have a gas or oil stove, a small flame stays burning at all times to light the furnace when it needs to turn on. If the pilot light goes out, the furnace won't run. You can relight the pilot light yourself, so it should be the first component you look at when there's a heating issue. Check in advance to find out where it is.

2. Power or Fuel Supply

On a gas stove, you might have an empty fuel tank or have your gas shut off. Check the valve to see if it's open (aligned with the pipe) or closed (crosswise to the pipe). You could also have a leak; if you smell rotten eggs or another unfamiliar odor, get your family out of the home until a technician can address the leak. On an electric furnace, the issue might simply be that the plug has come out of the outlet, or there might be damaged electrical wiring, so look over the cord and any visible connections.

3. Thermostat Issues

If the furnace turns on and off too frequently, or it never turns on even though everything seems to be working, the problem might be the sensor that detects when your home is warm enough. If it's poorly calibrated, the system may not register how cold the home is. If it's in the wrong place, the area it's in might heat up more quickly than the rest of the house and tell the system to shut off. Try comparing the temperature reading with a different thermometer, or turn the heat up very high to see if it kicks in then.

If you need furnace repair for these problems or any others, choose Steve Hester & Sons in Ward, AR. Serving Lonoke County and the greater Little Rock metro area since 1992 and with over 72 years of combined experience, they offer 24-hour service for emergencies to keep your home safe. Call them at (501) 941-5119 or visit their website to learn more about their services.