The Furnace Is Out Cold? 8 Steps to Get It Up and Running Again

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When your furnace is out, an after-hours service call is often substantially more expensive than an appointment during regular working hours. Prior to calling for an after-hours service technician, troubleshoot the furnace first to see if you can get it up and running.

Here are eight areas to check to get your furnace up and running again:

  1. Thermostat: The thermostat is the brain of your heating system. If the device has been inadvertently shut off or the settings changed, the furnace may not work. Make sure you regularly change the batteries in the thermostat to ensure it’s always functioning.
  2. Breakers: Have you had a power outage or surge recently? If your furnace is out, a  breaker may have tripped for a variety of reasons.
  3. Filters: A dirty filter can obstruct the furnace’s airflow. The furnace will start to overheat and automatically shut itself off. Regularly changing or cleaning the filters will help your furnace function properly.
  4. Gas: Has the gas valve been shut off? Did you pay your gas bill? If the gas isn’t flowing correctly for whatever reason, the furnace will not run.
  5. Drain hose: Check the drain hose on the furnace. If it’s obstructed with sediment, the furnace will shut off.
  6. Register: A restricted register will obstruct the furnace’s airflow, which may cause it to shut off.
  7. Exhaust flue: An obstructed exhaust flue will cause the furnace to turn off. If the furnace is out, make sure leaves, twigs, bird nests and the like aren’t obstructing the flue.
  8. Obstructed exhaust and intake fans: Debris or stored boxes and equipment can block airflow to the furnace. Clear all things away from the exhaust and intake fans.

If you don’t resolve your issues and your furnace is out, don’t hesitate to contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We proudly serve homeowners in and around Cincinnati.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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