Reasons Your Furnace Is Blowing Cold Air!
Your furnace blowing cold air is the absolute last thing you need on a cold winter night. Homeowners don’t always realize how cold their home can get until their furnace stops working or runs into problems. If you are noticing cold air blowing out of your vents when the heat is on, you may have a problem with your furnace.
First step is to troubleshoot your furnace issues. Start with some basic tests to determine what the problem may be before calling an HVAC technician.
- The Hand Test
– After your furnace runs for a few minutes, put your hand next to the register to see if you feel cold air. If your furnace is blowing cold air, or the air coming from the vents is at room temperature and not particularly warm, it could indicate a problem. - Look At Your Thermostat
– Be sure your thermostat is set to the correct temperature and mode. If you have a programmable thermostat, review your temperature settings. Your thermostats automated temperature controls may not be configured correctly during the initial setup. The fan setting may also be at fault. If your fan is set to “on” and not “auto”, this may cause the fan to run even when the furnace itself isn’t which will lead to cold air being pushed from the ductwork and into your home. If this is the case, reset your fan settings to “auto”. - Check Your Furnace
– Look at your furnace and ask your self the following questions. Is the furnace turning on? Are there any stranger noises or smells that don’t seem normal? If you answered yes to any of those questions, turn the system off and call a professional HVAC technician to come take a closer look.
Furnace Blowing Cold Air?
Below are a couple of the most common reasons, although these aren’t the only causes for your furnace to malfunction, there are many potential causes. It is always best to call upon a professional HVAC technician to take a look, determine the problem, and fix it.
Below are a couple of the most common reasons, although these aren’t the only causes for your furnace to malfunction, there are many potential causes. It is always best to call upon a professional HVAC technician to take a look, determine the problem, and fix it.
- Furnace Not Turning On
– Double check to see if the system has power. Although some gas furnaces can operate without electricity, many do require an active electrical connection. If you have an electric furnace, you will need to have power to operate it. If it’s blowing cold air and has power, there may be something else preventing it from operating properly. If you have an older gas furnace that’s blowing cold air, check the pilot light. Some gas furnaces have pilotless ignition systems, but some may still use a traditional pilot light to start the heating process. If there is no pilot light flame, you’ll need to relight it. If the pilot light isn’t relighting or staying lit, you will need to call in an HVAC technician to help.
- Flame Sensor Malfunction
– The flame sensor is a very important monitoring device in a gas furnace that protects your furnace and home. This sensor detects whether or not the natural gas or propane flowing into your furnace is igniting. If the gas isn’t being ignited as part of the heating cycle, it may lead to gas buildup or leaking. Flame sensors don’t last forever, overtime they can crack or become damaged. Which prevents them from working properly. Typically, a malfunctioning flame sensor will incorrectly determine there is no combustion when your furnace is working normally which will result in your system shutting down. On the bright side, flame sensors are typically inexpensive. Call upon a HVAC technician to come inspect and replace what is needed.