If your house is colder than it usually is you could be having problems with the furnace. To help you know this, below are two things that may be wrong with it so you can get either fix the furnace yourself or get it repaired by a professional.

Thermostat Has No Power

If your thermostat has no power look at it to see if it shows a low battery light. If so, change the batteries. Even if the batteries seem to be working it would be a good time to replace them if they have not been replaced in some time.

When you remove the thermostat housing to replace the batteries, use a small paintbrush to clean any dust you see from the housing. If there is a lot of dust this could be your problem.

There are some thermostats that do not take batteries. If yours is like this go to the electric control panel in your home and turn the breaker that is marked furnace off and back on to see if the thermostat comes on.

If you still have no power from the thermostat try to reset it. To do this, set the thermostat to the heat setting and then turn the temperature down to around 55 to 60 degrees. Turn the breaker off and leave it off for about 60 seconds. Turn it back on and turn the temperature back up on the thermostat to see if it has power. If it does not, then you need to contact a professional.

Pilot Light Won't Ignite

If the pilot lite will not ignite there may be a problem with the ignition sensor. You can try to repair this on your own. To do this you will find a shut off valve on a gas line that leads to the furnace. Turn the valve until it is approximately 90 degrees to the line. If you cannot find this you should contact a professional as how you turn the gas off does depend on the type of furnace you have and how it is installed.

Once the gas is off, remove the front panel of the furnace and look for the ignition sensor, which will be near the furnace burners. If the ignition sensor looks dirty remove it and wipe it off until all dirt is removed. You will have to unscrew the sensor to get it off. Put the sensor back on and put the panel back on. Turn the gas on and see if the pilot light will light. If not, the sensor may be bad and will have to be replaced.

Contact a furnace repair service to help you if you are not able to get your furnace running.

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