Mon-Sat: 8am - 6pm

Emergency Service

Get Warranty

Register Your Warranty

Call Today 215.366.1001

...or request a callback!

Common Reasons Why Your Furnace Brakes Down

Home  »  HeatingHome and Office Services   »   Common Reasons Why Your Furnace Brakes Down
Common Reasons Your Furnace Brakes Down

Common Reasons Your Furnace Brakes Down

The heating system is very important in a home because it not only regulates the temperature in the house but also makes your home comfortable to live in. Therefore, it is very important to maintain, repair or replace your heating system as required.

One of the problems associated with a furnace is tripping of the circuit breaker when the gas or oil fueled furnace is turned on. When it’s broken, you need to hire an expert to repair your heating system to avoid further damage. However, some people tend to reset the circuit breaker and carry on for a period of time until the circuit breaker trips again! This is not going to repair your broken unit because it can lead to serious damages that can make you incur heavy losses by having to replace multiple parts or even the entire HVAC system. A circuit breaker trips to protect the circuit from a large voltage surge which can lead to HVAC equipment overload. This means that there is safety issue and you need to call in an professional repair technician or fix it yourself.

A lot of people who own gas furnaces get confused about tripping circuit breakers because they think that gas furnaces do not need electricity. This is a misunderstanding because even if these furnaces rely on gas to produce heat, they still rely on electricity to power other components e.g. the ignition system and the electric blower motor. If you have limited knowledge about gas furnaces, you are advised to hire an HVACR technician to fix or diagnose what is causing safety circuit breaker to shut down the gas furnace unit.
Why would the circuit breaker trip?

Clogged furnace filter – when the filters have a lot of dust, lint and other debris, it becomes clogged making it ineffective. The filter makes the blower motor to strain thus overloading fan electrical parts and tripping the circuit. You can prevent this from happening by cleaning and replacing clogged air filters regularly.

Leaking or dirty air ducts – when your furnace has leaking air ducts, the air pressure lowers in the ductwork making the blower motor fan to overload thus counteract indoor air pressure deficiency. As a result, the blower fan uses a lot of energy (electricity) causing the circuit breaker to trip. You can hire a professional EMCO Tech Heating & Cooling service technician to clean and seal your ducts.

Damaged or broken fan motor – if the insulation of your motor is worn out, it can cause arching in the motor triggering a tripped circuit breaker the heating unit. You just need heating systems expert to repair or replace the motor or look for other reasons affecting the heating system.

EMCO Tech Heating Services Include:

If you think your furnace is not working as it should call EMCO Tech – qualified HVAC service in Philadelphia and we are here to serve you and all of your heating and cooling needs. 

Call us now for fast affordable HVAC repair in Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties 215-366-1001

— 4 Comments —

  • Franklin White I had no clue that gas furnaces still require electricity. My gas furnace when out last week and I need to get it fixed before the Fall. I'll find someone who can fix the circuit breaker if that is the problem more if it is the furnace itself. Reply
  • Joshua Lane My furnace makes a strange noise when it starts up, a grinding kind of noise. Is that the fan? Also, it runs for a while and shuts down. I'm guessing that's something that needs unclogged? Reply
    • admin Multiple possible issues could cause your furnace heater to start in such a manner. Looks like some moving part(s) is out of position, which causes the heating system not to go though it's cycles and shut down by safety switch. Your furnace needs to be checked by an HVAC technician to find out whether there is some obstacle blocking normal functioning, moving heating system parts out of position or worn out. You can try to take the fan door out and visually inspect the blower compartment. But better call the furnace repair contractor to look at it and give recommendations. Reply
  • Jessie Holloway Thanks so much for the list of common furnace issues and how to solve them Our furnace is making an odd noise when it starts up and we can't figure out why. We've been looking into hiring a professional to help us fix the issue before the weather gets too cold. Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About EMC

Emergency Maintenance Company field supervisors have been servicing heating & cooling equipment in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs for over 30 years. We have repair and installation experience with all residential and commercial manufacturers of HVAC equipment located in Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester, and Delaware Counties.
EMCO Technicians are well known for their quick troubleshooting and emergency repair service calls. Our office staff delivers superior customer service, and our trained technicians use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to diagnose HVAC problems quickly.
We pride ourselves on offering cost-effective repair and replacement solutions to meet your HVAC servicing needs.

Scroll to top