HVAC Not Heating? Check These Things First!
If Your HVAC is Not Heating, Let's Check First What Kind You Have
When it comes to heating your home, your HVAC system can be one of a number of types. Typically, your home will be outfitted with one of the following:
- Gas Furnace
- Heat Pump
- Electric Heat
- Mini-Split Ductless AC
Depending on which kind you have, the most likely problem may vary. For example, there's no pilot light on a heat pump, so that wouldn't be something we would need to check. Understanding what kind of heating system you have helps us know where to start checking for problems when your HVAC is not heating properly. If it's heating but not cooling, dealing with an HVAC that is not cooling is an entirely different checklist.
Gas Furnace
First and foremost, be careful when dealing with gas. Follow basic safety tips for working on a gas furnace whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or an HVAC technician. All heating systems pose a danger through their use of electricity, however a gas furnace adds to that danger with the presence of explosive and noxious gases.
Thermostat
When your gas furnace isn't heating, start first by checking the thermostat. This is one of the most common issues with any heating or cooling system. For air conditioners, it's often a float switch killing the power to your thermostat to prevent water overflowing from the drain line or pan. With a gas furnace this wouldn't be the case as heating systems to not produce condensate. Your thermostat can still, however, have issues. Low-voltage shorts or your thermostat having an internal issue can be common causes of a gas furnace not operating correctly.
Start first by determining if your thermostat screen is displaying anything. If the screen is blank, most likely you need a new thermostat. If the screen displays your settings but your system simply does not respond to the thermostat's commands, you may need more extensive diagnostics. In fact, this could indicate a low-voltage short that can be incredibly difficult to locate and repair.
Pilot Light
If your pilot light has gone out it may be as simple as relighting it. If you're set on doing this yourself, we'd recommend finding your specific gas furnace on a YouTube or similar video where someone can visually walk you through the process. However, we don't recommend you mess with lighting your furnace on your own. When dealing with gas we always recommend having a qualified HVAC technician perform the work.
Should you try to relight your furnace and find you cannot, the issue may be a bit bigger than you can handle. Your ignitor may need replacing or there could be something wrong in the gas supply line. At this point, reach out to a qualified technician for them to inspect. And always, if you smell gas, leave the home and call immediately.
Heat Pump
Like with a gas furnace, always check your thermostat first. If that doesn't appear to be the issue, here's a few places to start:
Tripped Breaker
We can't tell you how many times we have arrived at a service call for an HVAC not heating just to find a tripped breaker. Even when we ask by phone if they've checked their breaker, often homeowners aren't actually aware of where all they may have a breaker tied to their heat pump system.
First, is your unit running but not heating or is it not running? If the inside or outside unit is not running but your thermostat is on, you may have a tripped breaker. If the inside unit is off, check for a breaker near your air handler. If your air handler is in a closet, there should be a breaker in that closet as well. If it is in the attic, take a look around the unit for a mounted box with a single breaker. For your outside condenser, there should be a mounted breaker on the exterior wall.
There can also be an additional breaker in your main panel on the inside or outside of your home. Be sure to check all of these breaker locations before calling out an expert. If a breaker is tripped, flip it back on. This may have been a one-time issue of no concern. If your breaker keeps tripping, give us a call. We're licensed for both HVAC and electrical work so we will be able to solve your problem.
Low Refrigerant
When running a heat pump on heat mode, if your refrigerant is low you may see your outside unit's coil freeze up. Take a look at your outside condenser and see if you see ice on it. If you do, turn your unit off. You'll need to let it thaw before an HVAC technician can run diagnostics on it and if needed add refrigerant.
Electric Heat
Electric heat units use electric heat strips to heat the air circulating in your home. These units are typically 'straight cool / electric heat', which means for cooling it uses refrigerant and the same process as a heat pump, but for heating it uses only electricity. So, if your HVAC is not heating there is no chance of it being an issue with refrigerant or your outside condenser. Start with your thermostat and checking breakers, then move on from there.
Bad Heat Strips
If your thermostat appears to be working and there isn't a tripped breaker, there is a good chance your heat strips are experiencing a failure. This could mean the heat strips need replacing or that just some simple wiring to them may need a repair. Either way, in this scenario you're going to require more extensive diagnostics. Give us a call and we can come check it out.
Fan Motor or Capacitor
Other issues like your fan motor or capacitor going out can keep your electric heater from working correctly. If these items are suffering failures you need a qualified HVAC tech to perform diagnostics.
Mini-Split Ductless AC
Mini-split systems can have very different problems than standard ducted systems. Of course, check your breaker and make sure the unit has power, but most everything else is going to be quite different. Not every company or every technician is qualified to work on a mini-split. They often require different tools and diagnostic procedures which makes these the most difficult for home owners to perform simple repairs on themselves. Even so, you can at least look at your unit and get a bit more information before you call an HVAC company so that you can provide them all the details they need to send out the right person for the job.
Low Refrigerant
Mini-split systems do run on refrigerant like a heat pump. However, there isn't a traditional coil to look for when trying to see if it is freezing up. You have to look at the copper lines or you can remove the panel and see if you see icing on the interior. Icing may indicate low refrigerant and is valuable information to provide to the HVAC company you're calling.
User Error
Very common with mini-split systems is user error. The remotes can be a bit confusing, even for a qualified HVAC tech, such that it requires consulting the manual to know the right buttons to press to get your desired result. Each mini-split is different with a different remote, so be sure you're properly putting your unit in heat mode by consulting your manual for directions.
Unable to fix it yourself?
If at the end of the day you're unable to get it back working yourself, we can help by providing affordable heater repair. Give us a call today and we will come out and assess your HVAC unit. We'll provide upfront repair or replacement costs before you commit to anything, and then we'll provide exceptional service in resolving your problem.
If you're HVAC unit isn't cooling, check out a few ways to address it first before calling in the pros.