Cold air blowing out of vents on a January night is no fun, especially in Chilliwack where damp cold can creep into a house fast. Before you grab the phone and book emergency service, give your furnace a quick check. We get a lot of no-heat calls that turn out to be simple fixes a homeowner could have handled in five minutes. Here are the five things we check first when our techs walk into a house in Chilliwack.
1. The thermostat
This one sounds too obvious to mention, but it catches people all the time. First, make sure the thermostat is set to "Heat" and not "Cool" or "Off." If you have a kid or a guest in the house, someone may have changed it without telling you. Second, check that the temperature is set above the current room temperature. Third, if your thermostat runs on batteries, swap them out. A weak battery can stop the thermostat from sending the call-for-heat signal to your furnace, even if the screen still lights up.
2. The furnace switch
Most furnaces in Chilliwack have a regular light switch on the wall right next to or above the unit. It usually looks like a normal switch but it controls power to the furnace. If you or someone in your home recently did laundry, cleaned a closet, or worked on the wall nearby, that switch may have been flipped off by accident. Make sure it is in the "On" position. If you have never noticed this switch before, take a minute to find it now. Knowing where it is will save you a stressful moment later.
3. The breaker
Head to your electrical panel and look for a tripped breaker. A tripped breaker sits between the "On" and "Off" positions, not fully clicked into either. Flip it all the way to "Off" and then back to "On." If it trips again right away, leave it alone and call us. That means there is an electrical problem that needs a technician.
4. The air filter
A dirty air filter is the most common cause of furnace problems in Chilliwack. Pet hair, drywall dust from renos, and damp basement air all clog filters fast. When the filter gets too blocked, the furnace cannot pull enough air through it, the heat exchanger overheats, and a safety switch shuts the whole thing down to protect itself.
Pull out your filter and hold it up to a light. If you cannot see light through it, replace it. Most homes need a new filter every 1 to 3 months, depending on pets, dust, and how often you run the system. If you have replaced your filter and the furnace still will not run, the old filter may have caused the limit switch to trip and you will need someone to reset it.
5. The gas
If your furnace is a natural gas unit, make sure the gas is actually on. The shutoff valve is usually a yellow handle on the gas pipe near the furnace. When the handle is in line with the pipe, gas flows. When it is perpendicular, gas is off. If you smell gas, do not relight anything. Leave the house and call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 from outside.
Also check that your other gas appliances are working. If your stove, water heater, or fireplace also has no gas, the problem is likely with your supply, not your furnace.
Still no heat? Call us.
If you have gone through all five and the furnace still will not fire, it is time for a professional. Common issues we see in Chilliwack include flame sensors covered in soot, igniters that have burned out, blower motors that have seized, pressure switches that have gotten clogged with moisture from our wet winters, and control boards that have failed.
We answer the phone, and during cold snaps we run extended hours to keep up. Call (604) 655-6929 and we will get a licensed tech to your door as soon as we can. In the meantime, if you have a fireplace, electric space heaters, or an electric oven you can leave open in the kitchen, use them to keep at least one room warm. And please do not try to repair gas components yourself. The savings are not worth the risk.