Troubleshooting Chicago Furnace Repairs

If you live in the Chicago area, you will know that we have a Chicago snow storm heading our way.  It is suppose to drop anywhere from 6 – 12 inches depending on where you live in the Chicagoland area.  The wind is also suppose to pick up, and we will all feel as if we live in the Arctic.  If you have bad luck, this is the time you will need a Chicago furnace repair.

I was at a call this morning in Little Italy (in Chicago, all the neighborhoods have their own names.  This is zip code 60607 and is close to Taylor Street).  I was doing a furnace cleaning for this customer, so when the Chicago deep freeze hits, she will be ready.  However, this is the time of year when I get a lot of troubleshooting calls.  Here are few things to look at when trying to troubleshoot your own Chicago furnace repair:

1.  Check your thermostat.  If you have an older thermostat, definitely make sure it is clean and level (this is especially important since many of them have liquid mercury switches).  If all furnace repairs could be this easy!

2.  Make sure you have power to your furnace.  Your furnace may not be working just due to the circuit being tripped!  (Yes, this does happen!).  The easiest way to do this is to turn the fan on/auto switch on the thermostat to on).  You should hear the fan kick in.  If you don’t hear it, check your circuit breaker to see if it is tripped.  If tripped, reset to see if it turns on.  If it still does not turn on, contact a heating professional to diagnose the problem.

3.  If your room does not seem to be warm enough, check to make sure there is nothing in front of the registers.  Many people will put furniture in front of a register not realizing that it constricts air flow.

4.  Check  all the visible wiring and electrical connections for burns or unraveling/loose wire nuts or tape.

5.   Another thing to check with a furnace that is not working is the pilot light.  You will need to remove the door of your furnace and you should be able to see if the pilot light is on.  If you do not see a flame, your pilot light has gone out, and your furnace will not run. This could be caused by several problems.  You can try to relight it.  If that doesn’t work or the pilot light will not stay lit, you may need to replace the thermocouple that controls the gas valve pilot or the gas supply to your furnace.

This is a small list of troubleshooting items you can do for your Chicago furnace repair.  We like to help our customers save money by doing some very simple things themselves. However, sometimes furnace repairs do move beyond do-it-yourself furnace repairs and it is time to call in a heating comfort specialist.

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