If your heater is blowing cold air, there is clearly a problem with your system. The first piece of advice is don’t panic! There can be a few things that could be wrong, and not all of them mean you need to fix or replace your furnace.
5 Reasons Your Heater Blows Cold Air
There are a few reasons why your furnace is blowing cold air. Some of these situations you can take care of yourself, and others you’ll need to call in a professional.
- Your Air Filter Is Clogged
- Your Ducts Are Leaking
- Your Pilot Light Is Out
- Your Burners Are Dirty
- Your Thermostat Isn’t Working
Your Air Filter Is Clogged
Poor air flow can cause your system to back up and cause your system to overheat. This will then cause it to stop creating warm air, and instead blow cold air through your home.
We recommend changing your air filter, and seeing if this helps the system produce warm air again. If you replace your filter and the system is still producing cold air, call in a contractor to take a look.
Your Ducts Are Leaking
Your heating system could be working perfectly fine, but if your ducts and vents are leaking, the warm air isn’t going to be able to make it throughout your home.
Not only do these leaks prevent the warm air from getting to the proper place, but it also allows cool air from the attic and inside your walls to get into the system.
By the time it gets to the rooms furthest from your heater, the air is cool and uncomfortable.
If you have the proper tools, we recommend sealing the ductwork up. The most important thing is to use tape and materials that are designed to take on heat.
If you use common, everyday materials you could be creating a fire hazard, or these materials will simply get burned through and not work properly.
If you don’t feel comfortable sealing the ducts yourself, call an expert. Almost every HVAC contractor is capable of fixing your ducts and getting your home on the right track to comfort!
Your Pilot Light Is Out
This can be an easy fix, or a call to a professional. If your pilot light is out, there’s no way for your burners to ignite and create heat.
This is a common problem for older furnaces.
If you feel comfortable with resetting your system, we recommend doing that. There’s usually a reset button at the bottom of your furnace that allows you to do this.
First, though, find your manual and look over the instructions. Also check out tutorials online. There are plenty of videos that walk you through this process.
If you reset your system and it still isn’t working, now is the time to call a professional. They should be able to help you get it lit again!
Your Burners Are Dirty
If your burners are dirty, they may not ignite properly. This causes your system to produce less, or no heat at all. For this situation, we recommend calling in a professional.
They can disassemble your heater, and clean the components. A regular service every year will be able to prevent your system from running into issues like this.
This is luckily an easy fix, but one that requires a contractor to take care of it.
Your Thermostat Isn’t Working
Your thermostat could be sending the wrong signals to your HVAC system. It could also be on the wrong setting. We recommend putting your thermostat on AUTO instead of ON.
This way your system will cycle on and off as you need it. If it’s set to ON, it can cause your system to fail and blow cold air.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way for you to tell if your thermostat is the issue, and your HVAC technician will have to come in and take a look at it.
Scheduling Service For Your Heater
Our biggest piece of advice is to make sure your heating system is serviced every year.
Your heating system will be in your home for 10-20 years, and making sure it’s in tip top shape not only keeps your heating in order, but it also helps you save energy in the long run. Having an energy efficient heating system will keep your heating bills lower, and keep you from years of overpaying for heat.
Make sure your heating system is running well for year and years with regular heating maintenance