Not every house has a connection to a natural gas line, and some homeowners prefer the safety of only relying on electricity to power appliances. For these homes, an electric furnace is always a good alternative source for warmth. Along with their flexibility, electric furnaces tend to have longer service lives than gas furnaces and they cost less upfront to install.
No furnace can be 100% free of problems, however. In this post, we’re going to look at what you can do if your electric furnace begins to lose its heating ability—or it stops heating altogether.
Check the air filter
The air filter should always be the first thing you check on when a furnace struggles to meet your heating needs. A clogged filter will cut down on airflow and make the system strain too hard. Change the filter for a clean one (and continue to do change it every other month or so).
Take a look at the thermostat
Sometimes it’s the simplest thing that causes a furnace to refuse to heat. If the furnace won’t turn on, make sure that the current setting on the furnace is at least 5°F warmer than the current room temperature.
Check the circuit breaker panel
If the furnace’s blower fan won’t turn on at all, it’s possible that the furnace has tripped a circuit breaker. Check the electrical panel and reset any circuits, then re-try the furnace. If the circuit breaker trips again, there’s probably an electrical malfunction in the furnace and you’ll need professionals to investigate it.
Call for an HVAC professional
Most of the other reasons that an electric furnace can fail are ones that need the assistance of a professional to remedy, such as faulty relays, faulty heating elements, and burnt-out motors. You should never open up the furnace cabinet and tamper with it yourself! Electric furnaces do not have the same safety issues as gas furnaces, but that doesn’t mean they are easy to fix with DIY methods. Make sure the repair is done right and have experts do it.
Contact our office today to have Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration help you meet your comfort needs in Alexandria, VA.
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