A furnace has built-in systems and features designed to work in a specific way. Sometimes homeowners are taken by surprise when there is a sudden shut-off. Before jumping to conclusions, you need to understand a few terms and how certain components inside your HVAC system work.
Every furnace has a reset button, which is either red or yellow. It is present right inside the blower compartment. This reset button is meant for the safety of the furnace, as well as your family.
Whenever there is an overheating problem due to a broken pilot light or improper thermostat settings, the furnace will switch itself off to prevent overheating. Even if there is an electrical problem with sudden voltage hikes, the furnace will detect the problem beforehand. This way, even if the circuit breaker trips, your unit will protect itself just in time. You must provide your unit with regular servicings to have the required efficiency to detect such problems early on.
Although it is common for a furnace to do so under special circumstances, only if it keeps happening, you need to get in touch with an HVAC specialist near you.
Reasons Why A Reset Button Trips
Here are a few reasons why your reset button keeps tripping time and again:
- Valves: The tank reset button will trip whenever there is a blocked or closed valve
- Loss of fuel: For gas or oil run heating and cooling systems. Instead of contacting a professional expert, make sure to check your tank.
- Flame sensor: Dirty flame sensors are the number one reason why furnaces keep having short cycles. If you have an old unit that has not been cleaned for years, dirt can be collected on top of your flame sensor. Change them at least four times a year to maintain the efficiency of your furnace.
- Overheating: Overheating is common in many furnaces, and surprisingly homeowners don’t do anything about it unless there is a visibly noticeable problem. Systems do overheat when there are voltage switches or an insufficient supply of energy and fuel. But if there is not enough airflow due to clogged filters, there can be fatal accidents.
Ways To Reset A Furnace
Either you have a gas furnace or an electric furnace. To reset an electric furnace:
- Turn off the power supply from the circuit box.
- Look for the reset button inside the blower compartment.
- Find the reset button and press it, or hold it, as instructed in the manual.
- Wait a minute before turning on the electricity.
For a gas furnace:
- Ensure the pilot light is out.
- Lower the thermostat temperature.
- Turn off power from the circuit box and the main gas supply.
- Relight the pilot light.
- Turn back the power on.
- Press and hold the reset button for at least 30 seconds.
- Increase and adjust the temperature on the thermostat.
If you need a professional to help you out, our experts at Anthony’s AC and Heating can reach out to you for heating repair in Grand Prairie, TX. Call us at 214-546-6353 and schedule a service today!
