Austin Heating And Air

Troubleshooting Your Furnace Until an Austin HVAC Company Can Get to You

It’s cold, your furnace just quit on you, and every Austin HVAC company you’ve called is booked. Or maybe your furnace died at 3 am on a Tuesday or 3 pm on a Sunday, and you’d rather not pay the after-hours rate.

Either way, what you need is some solid, practical tips to (hopefully) get your furnace cranking again—so you don’t have to put your kids to bed in their snowsuits. Even if you’re willing to do that, we’re guessing you’d rather not have almost frozen plumbing pipes.

Follow these tips to see if you can get your furnace to fire up again:

  • Make sure the furnace is turned on: “Well, is it plugged in?” seems like a ridiculous question—but given how many Austin HVAC “repairs” involve flipping a switch, it’s worth asking. Check the thermostat to make sure it’s actually turned to heat, and then make sure the furnace itself is turned on and the breaker isn’t tripped.
  • Check your thermostat settings: Your thermostat tells your furnace when to turn on and off, so it’s worth having a look. Does it need fresh batteries? Did the schedule get changed somehow? Does it need a good dusting? Also, try setting the thermostat to five degrees above room temperature to see if your furnace kicks on.
    1. See if the furnace is getting power: Turn your thermostat fan switch from “auto” to “on.” If you hear the fan kick on, you’ll know the unit’s getting power. If the fan doesn’t come on, you have an electrical issue somewhere.
    2. Try cycling the power: We know, we know: “Turn if off and back on again” seems to be standard advice… but that’s because it (sometimes) works! Head to your thermostat, flip the switch to the off position, and wait 30-60 seconds. Then, cross your fingers, turn the switch back on, and see what happens. If that doesn’t work, temporarily set your thermostat to “beach weather” so it’s not trying to cycle your furnace on and off while you’re troubleshooting.
    3. See if the gas valve is turned on: Yes, yet another switch to check. If you have a gas furnace, it can’t get the fuel it needs to operate if the switch is off. 
  • Check your furnace filter: This is one of the first things our technicians check because homeowners are busy and don’t often think about their filters. Even a small amount of build-up can cause dirt to accumulate on the blower, which can cause the furnace to overheat and shut down. So, with the furnace switched off, pull your filter and check its condition. If you don’t see any visible debris, check for tears or holes. If the filter’s in any sort of rough shape, replace it. If you don’t have a spare on hand, gently vacuum any visible gunk from the filter, place it back in the unit, and try firing it back up. (And ask Alexa to order you some filters!)
  • Check the pilot light: If you have a gas furnace with a pilot light, see if it’s still lit. If it’s not? You guessed it: Simply re-light it.
  • Close the blower door: If you recently did some preventive maintenance (gold star for you!), you may not have closed the blower door all the way. Your furnace won’t run unless that’s securely latched.
  • Check the air intake: And now you get to bundle up and head outside. Furnaces draw in air from the outside, warm it, and circulate it through your home. If the air intake is clogged by debris or snow, it will cause your furnace to overheat and turn off.

If none of these tips get your furnace running again—or if you’re just not comfortable trying to DIY your repair—we’re happy to help. Just give us a call.

Have Your HVAC System Checked Twice A Year

We’d be happy to chat any time about our maintenance schedules, so you can feel comfortable and have peace of mind in every season. Give us a call today!

Eddie
2023-10-04
From the get go, Kassidy was excellent in scheduling options and even managed to snag me an earlier time slot than previous discussed. She took the time to reach out and confirm. A major shout out to Jamie and Carlo—talk about pros. They were excellent on providing education and explaining the why behind my duct issues. This was the initial inspection and I’ll make sure to leave details once the work is completed.
Jose Carlos Rodriguez
2023-09-25
Awesome
Eric Corum
2023-09-25
Very professional, great communicators, and very thorough.
Agustin Hernandez
2023-09-21
Todo muy profesional desde que hablé para pedir información la Srita que me atendió muy amable y el técnico que vino a mi casa también muy amable y profesional resolvió todas mis dudas 100% recomendable
Cindi Taylor
2023-09-14
What an amazing team of people! I came home from vacation and my house was hot. It was hot outside- Austin in the summer hot. I spoke with Petra and she was able to get a technician out within a couple of hours. That in itself is quite a feat given it was after 1:30pm. Jaime Ortega was dispatched and came to check the system. This guy has great customer service skills! He is a is very respectful, polite, communicate well, explains what is going on and is very thorough. He was joined by Carlos, who is also very polite, considerate and knowledgeable. These guys make a really great team. I was told there were several problems and I explained I had been trying to deal with one side of my house not working properly and the other side never getting cool in the summer and warm in the winter. My electric bills over the last 2 months were unsustainable. They went into the attic and traced down all the ductwork, discovered some of it had been installed incorrectly and they formulated a solution. It was also decided by me to replace the entire AC system. By the time this was decided, it was well after 6:30pm. I asked when we would be able to get this to happen and they said - tomorrow! They showed up on time and regretably I did not get the 3rd team member's name- and he deserves a shout out too. They worked for more than 8 hours in that horrible heat- got the system installed and everything cleaned up, packed up, and left the space better than they found it. I really appreciate skilled professionals that respect someone's home and who take the time to talk with me and let me know what is going on, what they are finding and how to take care of my investment. I have chosen for several years to be part of their maintenance membership plan and I have never been disappointed- even when I have an unexpected event - like a system failure while on vacation. I have had the privilege of meeting one of the owners, talking with the administrative staff, and 3 technicians that are really awesome people. These guys care about the quality of work they perform and they work to keep their customers happy. No wonder they have such great reviews! I am very happy with the service I received, the way I was treated and the value they bring to their industry. Keep up the good work! I will certainly tell everyone I know to call you when they need help. Perfect name too- GRANDE AIR SOLUTIONS!!!
Lourdes Alonso
2023-09-09
A/C stopped working on a Friday night and Isael came out within the hour and got it working. He was really knowledgeable and showed us other areas to keep an eye on. He stayed long enough to make sure the system was lowering the temperature in the house.
Sascha Rips
2023-09-09
Our A/C went out late in the day on a Friday. Grande Air was able to get us in Friday evening and got our A/C up and running in just a short time. Prices were also very reasonable even though it was a weekend evening. We will definitely use them again for future A/C needs.
Kiersten Legge
2023-09-07
Jaime was AWESOME!!! Professional and let us know each step he was taking in diagnosis and repair. Love Grande!!!!!

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