When your furnace won’t start, doing your own furnace repair in Santa Clarita, California, can feel pretty overwhelming.

Figuring out a furnace-related problem might feel like an overwhelming job when your heat won’t power on. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There are a few speedy, reasonable fixes you can do on your own to prevent a furnace repair call.

If your furnace won’t turn on, won’t stay on or won’t ignite, try the troubleshooting list below before contacting an HVAC professional.

If you find you need help from a heating and cooling pro and live in Santa Clarita, Verona HVAC can provide assistance to you. We can repair most makes of heating systems and also provide emergency furnace repair.

If it’s time for a new heating system, we also offer furnace installation.

While you’re chatting with us, think about a regular furnace maintenance plan that may help you avoid repairs in the future. We can tell you how frequently your furnace should be examined by one of our Certified Pros.

Use our easy guide below to start troubleshooting your furnace. Most of these steps don’t require mechanical expertise.

Furnace Repair Checklist

1. Check the Thermostat

First, make sure your thermostat is telling your furnace to ignite.

Digital Thermostat

Swap out the batteries if the screen is blank. If the digital screen is jumbled, the thermostat may need to be replaced.

Make sure the switch is set to “heat” as opposed to “off” or “cool.”

Ensure the program is showing the right day and time and is set to “run.” If you’re having trouble overriding the program, set the temperature by using the up/down arrows and press the “hold” button. This will force the furnace to ignite if thermostat programming is causing a problem.

Increase the temperature setting to 5 degrees warmer than the room temperature.

If your furnace hasn’t turned on within a couple minutes, make sure it has power by toggling the fan switch from “auto” to “on.” If the fan doesn’t begin to run, your furnace could be without power.

Smart Thermostat

If you have a smart thermostat—like one made by Nest, Ecobee, Lux, Honeywell or Bosch—troubleshooting is very model-specific. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for help. If you still can’t get your Wi-Fi thermostat to work, call us at 818-306-3387 for heating and cooling service.

2. Examine Breakers and Switches

Next, you will need to check if your breaker and furnace switch are on.

Find your house’s main electrical panel. If you aren’t sure where it is, keep an eye out for a gray metal box in your basement, garage or closet.

Make sure your hands and feet are dry before touching the panel or breakers.

Look for the breaker labeled “furnace” or “heat,” and make sure it’s switched “on.” If the breaker has tripped, it will be in the middle or “off” position.

Using one hand, firmly switch the breaker to the “on” position. If the breaker immediately trips and pops back to “off,” don’t try to reset it and call a professional from Verona HVAC at 818-306-3387 right away.

Regardless of your furnace’s age or brand, it has at least one standard wall switch located on or close to it.

Make sure the switch is flipped up in the “on” position. If it was turned off, anticipate your furnace could take up to five minutes to ignite. (If you don’t know where to find your furnace, check your basement, garage or utility closet. It could also be in a crawl space or attic.)

3. Replace the Air Filter

When it comes to furnace issues, a filthy, clogged air filter is frequently the top offender.