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What to do if Your Furnace is Blowing Cold Air
Spring in Denver typically means we are ready for warm weather, but it isn’t here yet. You may be able to ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon, but chances are you are still relying on your heating system this time of year. Starting with your thermostat, there are a few things you can check before calling an HVAC professional if you have a furnace blowing cold air.
Here are 3 common reasons your furnace is blowing cold air:
1. Your thermostat is set to “On.”
When your thermostat is set to “On,” the blower goes continuously, even when the furnace is not heating. This means that at various times, the air blowing throughout your home may be either warm or cold. Switch it to “Auto” and your furnace will only blow warm air, and will be off when the air is not being heated. This will make your system operate more efficiently as well.
2. A dirty furnace air filter.
If you haven’t checked or changed your furnace air filter in awhile, it could be causing the furnace to overheat and blow cold air or no air at all. A dirty air filter blocks airflow and causes your furnace to run longer and work harder. Change the filter and test the furnace. Replacing the air filter should be part of your regular home maintenance, to keep your furnace running efficiently, to avoid excessive wear and tear on your system, to prevent avoidable repairs, and to lower your energy bills.
3. Make sure the pilot light on your gas furnace is lit.
Relight the pilot light. It may have simply gone out accidentally. If the pilot light refuses to stay lit, make sure the gas valve is on and fully open, and that gas is flowing into the furnace. Check to make sure the pilot light itself is clean. A dirty pilot light can prevent gas from flowing through. If that is not the problem, you may need to adjust or replace the thermocouple (the copper rod the pilot flame is hitting). This is likely something you will want to call a technician to do.
