Apart from your lighting system, another thing in your home might stop working when your lights fail. The thing here is that although your lights come back on, your furnace will still not start working. It might just mean there will be no furnace for you when you really need it. However inconvenient it may be for the homeowner, you can solve this kind of problem quite easily.
If you search online for how to make your furnace run after a power cut, the results are more likely to mention heating contractors, Platinum HVAC, or other heating-related professionals. They will most likely respond that you only need to reset the furnace. So if you are hoping to save some time when this happens, it is good to know this from the get-go.
Why a Furnace May Stop Working After a Power Outage
Current furnace models also include an electronic control board, sensors, and other safety devices in addition to their operation. The furnaces can recover from a loss of electrical power only some of the time, and they often become locked out due to an inactive safety switch or a communication wire between your furnace and the thermostat.
A blown fuse or tripped breaker that’s connected to the furnace will turn off the unit and might even be a quick fix.
When to Reset Your Furnace
Some symptoms indicate you should reset the furnace, but a HVAC furnace restart cannot resolve all furnace issues.
The following are examples of warning signs:
- The thermostat is calling for heat, but the furnace does not respond
- The blower fan is not operating
- Error codes appear on the furnace control panel
- The system attempts to start but shuts down immediately
- The furnace remains completely inactive after power restoration
Recognizing such symptoms at the earliest will help you decide whether it is worth attempting to reset your unit before booking a repair service.
Furnace Safety Tips Before Performing the Reset
Besides the common furnace safety precautions you might be aware of, there is one more aspect that needs to be mentioned – furnaces function using electricity or natural gas. Therefore, be extremely cautious.
The first thing that you need to do is look at your furnace. In case you think that there is a gas leak inside your home, evacuate all the occupants of your home.
See to it that there is no clutter near your furnace.
You should see just how easy it is to reset the furnace after you perform the maintenance.
Procedure to Reset Furnace After a Power Outage
Resetting the furnace should not be too difficult.
Check first to see if the furnace breaker in the breaker box has been flipped. You can do this, or reset the breaker once and then flip the power on.
Second, disconnect the thermostat and wait for some minutes. Next, switch on the furnace and reprogram it via the thermostat to heat. When you apply power to any furnace, it enters reset mode by default.
How to Reset Different Types of Furnaces
Resetting the furnace depends on the furnace type and the fuel you use for heating.
Gas furnaces have their reset buttons located near the blower or burner units. Electric furnaces will require adjustment of circuit breakers and thermostats. Diagnostic screens are available for high-efficiency furnaces. Always make sure you consult the manufacturer’s guide before resetting.
What to Do if Your Furnace Continues Not to Work
If you are unable to turn your heater on after following the instructions set forth here, you should now look at a few different areas for further diagnosis. Begin by inspecting the temperature control. You will be required to confirm that it is switched on, replace the battery, and clear any blockage to air flow from the heater. These are common furnace problems and may be unrelated to power failure.
When to Call an HVAC Professional
There are some matters regarding the furnace that will require specialized diagnostic equipment and expertise. Electrical issues and problems with your control board, ignition, and gas valves are not things you should handle alone. If it is any of these problems, then you need an expert’s help.
If your heater continues to lock up and display error codes each time, this problem also requires an expert solution.
In Conclusion
You may encounter specific problems that prevent you from resetting your furnace in those situations. The best thing about furnace rebooting problems is that you can usually correct them once you know their cause.
One of the biggest pros of the problems that may occur during a furnace reboot is that you can always solve them, provided you know their origin.
If you have ever struggled to get your furnace working again after a blackout, feel free to share your experience with us.
