Winter usually brings fairly mild weather, but temperatures can still dip well into the 30s. That’s far too cold to go without a working furnace!
If your furnace blower won’t kick on, that means no warm air and a downright chilly home. Below, learn why your furnace blower isn’t working, then call us for furnace repair services.
How Does a Furnace Blower Work?
Before getting into the reasons why your furnace blower won’t run, it’s helpful to understand how furnaces work. Gas furnaces burn fuel to create heat in a process called combustion. The furnace’s blower fan is responsible for collecting cool air in your vents and passing it over the heat exchanger to warm it. Once the air is nice and warm, the blower pushes it out through the ductwork to heat your home.
Heating your home isn’t the blower’s only job. If you have a central air conditioner, it’s also responsible for pushing cool air through your home in the summer.
Reasons Why Your Furnace Blower Is Not Working
Furnace blower not working? There are quite a few reasons why your furnace’s blower may have stopped working. They include:
- Motor failure: If something is wrong with your blower’s motor, it naturally won’t turn on. The problem could be a failed blower capacitor, worn-out bearings, or a lack of lubrication. Loud noises from the furnace indicate something amiss with the motor. In some cases, you may need to replace the part.
- Overheating: Modern furnaces feature a failsafe that turns them off if they detect an airflow obstruction to prevent permanent damage. Common causes of blockages include dirty air ducts and clogged air filters.
- Tripped circuit breaker: Your circuit breaker might trip if there’s an electrical problem with the furnace. If you reset the power supply and the furnace trips it again, call a technician for help.
- Damaged control board: Think of the control board as the “brain” of your furnace. If something is amiss with the control board, the furnace may turn on and off randomly. Sometimes, the problem is as simple as a loose connection. Other times, you may need to replace the part.
- A lack of maintenance: Regular maintenance can help prevent many of the issues discussed above. Through maintenance, technicians find small issues and correct them before they escalate into big problems that need costly repairs.
What To Do if Your Furnace Fan Won’t Turn On
If your furnace blower won’t work, there is, unfortunately, no one-size-fits-all solution. Troubleshooting depends on what exactly is wrong with the furnace. That said, you may be able to repair the furnace yourself by following these steps:
- Replace your air filter if it looks dirty or clogged with debris. Depending on your furnace, you might need a new filter every 30-90 days.
- Verify that the thermostat is set to the correct temperature.
- Check the circuit breaker and look for blown fuses.
- Ensure that the blower door is in place and not open. The furnace won’t run if the door is ajar.
- Try resetting the furnace. For some newer furnaces, you can trigger the reset process by turning the system on and off twice in 30 seconds.
If none of these methods work, it’s time to call us for furnace repair.
Furnace Blower Not Working? Call Our Experts
If your furnace blower isn’t working, don’t waste time and stress yourself out by trying to fix it yourself. Count on our professional technicians at Airmech Heating and Air Conditioning instead! Whether you need a new furnace or are looking for a second opinion on heating repair, you can trust the Airmech Heating and Air Conditioning team. Contact us to schedule service today.