Why Your Gas Furnace is Blowing Out Cold Air

It’s getting cold outside. You may wake up on a particularly cold morning and decide that today is the day to kick on the gas furnace. But when you turn it on, all that comes out is more cold air. Why is this happening? Well, these may be the reasons that you need to contact an Empire HVAC contractor.

Symptoms of a Troubled Furnace

If your heating unit is constantly running and it’s only blowing out cold air some of the time,  the first place you should start is at the thermostat. Though this may seem like a quick fix, it can often be overlooked by making sure that the thermostat is not set to ON. Instead, switch it over to the AUTO position and your furnace should start blowing warm air.

What if your furnace is running hot, then cold, and then totally off? This may be a sign that your unit is overheating. As a safety precaution, your furnace is wired to shut itself off if it is beginning to overheat, thanks to a safety device called the limit switch. Most likely the source of your overheated furnace is stemming from a dirty air filter. When the air filter inside your furnace is dirty, it blocks air from getting out and causes the overheating. If this problem goes unfixed, it could blow out the heat exchanger, which is a very expensive fix.

Also check to see if your pilot light is out if your furnace is blowing cold air. If so, there are a few different ways to solve this problem. First, find the assembly for the pilot light, then turn it to the OFF setting. Wait three minutes. Now switch back to the pilot setting. Hold a lighted match in the opening while holding down the reset button. When the pilot flame burns brightly, you can release the button and change to the ON setting. If your pilot lit but didn’t stay, then there may be another problem. The copper rod that the pilot light was hitting, known as the thermocouple, may need replacing or adjusting.

While these issues may be an easy fix, it is best to contact your local heating and air repair company. This will ensure that the job is done correctly and that there are no additional issues with your furnace.

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